Misinterpretations
by sKyLaR KnIgHt
Summary: When Hinata is kicked out by her father, she takes to dressing like a boy. Sakura is having boy problems when suddenly this beautiful boy comes out of nowhere... She thinks she's in love, but the boy? He's Hinata.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I felt like writing this, so here it is. It's a side project and it I probably won't be updated as often as my other fic, The Avengers. So please review! ^~^

WARNING: CONTAINS SOME YURI. IF THAT'S NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA, THEN DON'T READ.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"I told you that you weren't to make another mistake again, and what did you do?" Hyuuga Hiashi lectured his daughter from his seat in the drivers spot in the car. They were driving towards the downtown area of Tokyo and he wasn't happy. Not at all.

"I-I messed up…" Hinata held her head down in shame. Her eyes were stinging and her vision kept blurring. Her otou-san may be yelling at her now, but if he caught her crying her would throw a fit! She couldn't understand why he was so angry. It was just an accident yet he acted as if the whole world was crashing down.

"You didn't 'mess up'. YOU SCREWED UP!"

Even Neji flinched from his spot in the passenger's seat in the front, and Hiashi's rage wasn't even directed at him! Hanabi was holding on to Hinata's hand in the back, frowning at the back of their father's head.

"You're just so useless Hinata, and you haven't one skill that can make up for it."

"That's not true!" Hanabi cut in, "Hinata-neesan cooks really well, and she-."

"This doesn't concern you Hanabi. Shut your mouth." His ivory hues flicked to the road, then to his eldest daughter. "I think that it's about time that you grow up and understand what kind of world you really live in." He pulled over to the side of the road and unlocked the doors. "Get out."

The heiress' eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Fear clutched at her chest as she stared at their father with disbelief.

"You think I'm kidding?" He roared. "Get out of my car now!"

Neji glanced over to his uncle with his brows drawn down. "Uncle, I do not think that this is the-." He was cut off immediately by a fierce glare.

Hinata's lower lip trembled as she reached for the handle and opened the door. She reached for the handle and opened the door. She calmly stepped out and slammed it behind herself, walking away from the curve. She didn't bother to turn around when she heard the car speed off; she knew that her family was long gone.

_Well…_ She thought, looking around herself, _now what?_

-Break-

"Stop the car! We have to go back! I'm sure that this is illegal!" Hanabi screeched, hitting her father's shoulder as hard as she could. "Do you see what kind of area you left her? There's nothing but crack whores and drunkards! She'll get raped in a matter of seconds!"

The older man didn't even flinch. "It's not illegal Hanabi. I am no fool. I'm just going to circle the block and pick her up. She'll be shaken up enough that she won't mess up. She'll be shaken up enough that she won't mess up ever again."

"Uncle… If that is all you were doing to do, then why did you not take her and leave her somewhere at least a little safer?"

"Because then she wouldn't think that I was serious."

"Tou-san, **I** thought you were serious! And Hinata-neesan is the more gullible one! She's probably scared out of her wits!"

They rounded the corner and stopped where they dropped off the teen minutes before. "She's alright Hanabi. See? She's-."

"Uncle?"

"What is it Neji?"

"Hinata-sama isn't there."

-Break-

She was hiding in the bathrooms. She had seen the area… Drunken men everywhere, prostitutes, drug addicts… She wouldn't survive there very long if she stayed dressed the way she was and looked as she did there was no doubt in her mind that she would be raped.

She searched the bathroom frantically form something-anything that would change her appearance. Her lavender orbs landed on a woman who was passed out in the corner.

She had incredibly greasy gray hair, not from age, but it was her natural color. She had a bag lying next to her and a knife was clutched in her grubby hand.

"E-excuse me…" She called out.

Nothing. Not even a little twitch.

So she tried again. "E-excuse m-me."

The woman released a snore.

"Excuse me." She turned to the faucets and cupped some water into the palm of her hands. She then turned to the woman and sprinkled it on her face. "Excuse me?"

The woman hacked a couple of times before her eyes cracked open. "What do ya want?" she asked as she glared at the shy heiress.

"I-its just that I need t-to make myself l-look different before I s-step out of this bathroom… I-I was wondering if you would h-help me?"

The woman eyed her silently for several moments, her eyes shining greedily. "What's in it for me?" She demanded, licking her lips as her beady little eyes landed on Hinata's rings.

"I'll g-give you all of my j-jewelry and my c-clothes if you give me the clothes you have in your bag and your knife." She held her head high as confidence filled her.

The older woman examined the heiress for several moments. "Done." She tossed Hinata her plastic bag and handed over her knife.

_Perfect._ "Here you are." She took off all of her jewelry she had on her and passed it over before moving over to a stall and pulled off her clothes. She tossed them over and then turned to her new bag.

She searched its contents and pulled out a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. They weren't as dirty as she would've thought, but there were several holes littered here and there.

She quickly pulled them on, slightly annoyed that they were a little too big for her, but ignored it, moving back to the bag. The next article of clothing removed was a black wife beater. Like the pants, there were a couple of holes, though these were much smaller. She threw it on before eagerly digging through the bag. Next was a slightly dirty ebony long sleeved shirt. It practically swallowed up, it was so big. It reached a few inches above her knees and was big enough to hide her well endowed figure. To top off her homeless assemble, there was a navy blue scarf which she quickly secured around her neck. Everything was perfect. _Well, almost everything…_

She glanced down at her shoes, which were too nice and feminine to go with this new homeless boy look she had going. "A-ano… Are you still there?" She called quietly.

"Hai."

"H-How about we trade shoes as well?"

"…What size?"

"F-five and a half…"

She was met with a low cackle. "Five and a half? Heh, heh, heh! Hun, you won't find anyone out here with that size! But they're mighty fancy and I can probably fetch a pretty penny for 'em." A big pair of black combat boots was shoved under the door. "Here. They may be a bit big, but that's just something that you need to get used to out here."

Hinata knelt next to the shoes and flipped out the tongue out, examining the listed size. She nearly groaned at her bad luck. It was a size six… In men. She didn't even have to untie them. She simply slipped her feet in and voila. The heiress opened the door and passed her shoes over to the awaiting woman. "There you are."

The woman grabbed them then examined them with narrowed eyes for several moments. "You look like a guy with long hair." She noted.

"That's what the knife is for." She moved over to the mirror and grabbed one of her long strands. She felt like crying. It took her two years to grow her hair out that long! _But in the end, its all for my safety. _She thought. The teen took a deep breath and seared her knife through, cutting off a chunk.

Snip. Snip. Snip. Several clips later and more strands fell to the floor.

The previously passed out woman studied her. "Well hun, you won't have to worry about being on the streets for too long." She cackled. "Damn. Just lookin' at you gets me all hot and bothered, and I know what sex you really are!"

Hinata blinked owlishly. "What do you mean?" The Hyuuga heiress stared at herself in the mirror. She didn't think that she looked too spectacular… Her hair was a bit spiky and her bangs were incredibly uneven… She did look like a boy, but she wouldn't say that she looked desirable.

_Hm… Oh well._ She turned back to the woman and gave her a brief nod in thanks. "I'll s-see you around m-maybe…" She said in a deepened voice before turning and exited the bathroom.

The woman flushed then chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "Man, that girl's going to be giving everyone wet dreams as soon as they see her. Men or women!"

-Break-

So that's how she ended up walking down the downtown streets with her loud combat boots clunking as she was searching aimlessly for something to entertain herself.

Some men paused in mid-conversation to sneer as she passed, some whispering. "Damn pretty boy," others whispering something about taking the little boy to school and teaching him a lesson or two, whatever that meant.

"…" She continued on until she came to a stop before a bench near the park, plopping down unceremoniously. _Huh… What to do..?_

"Why does he hate me so much?" she heard a girl cry out from the park.

"..?" she climbed to her feet and clunked over to the entrance, searching for whoever was the source of all the weeping. She came to a small clearing when she saw her.

The female had short, shoulder length pink hair and was wearing a maroon sweater and black jeans. She was hunched over, so the heiress couldn't see anything else.

_Should I leave..?_ She knew she wouldn't. Curiosity got the better of her and she just wasn't one to leave someone alone when they were suffering. So she strode forward, filled with determination. "Excuse me, m-miss?"

-Break-

She couldn't believe him! Not only had he turned her down, but he did it in front of their entire class! "Why does he hate me so much?" Haruno Sakura moaned, burying her face into her sleeves.

Uchiha Sasuke, the boy that she has loved since elementary rejected her, saying something about how it would ruin his relationship with Naruto, their friend that has loved her since… Well for as long as she's liked Sasuke!

"He broke my heart." She whispered. She couldn't really lift her head, for she knew that crying so much had exhausted her. She would pass out if she did…

"Excuse me, m-miss?"

_Oh no! Someone found me! _Sakura hastily wiped off all of her tears and snot before angling her body around. She still had the majority of her face covered, but she allowed her eyes to be seen. Her vision was a bit hazy from unshed tears and she quickly wiped them away with slight irritation.

Once her vision cleared and her eyes landed on the figure before her, she almost reached up to wipe at her eyes again. This man couldn't be real! Well, man was a bit strong, this was more like a teen her own age. The thing that stood out the most? He was prettier than Sasuke! Just then, she was hit with a wave of dizziness. _Oh, Kami._ Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and then she fainted.

-Chapter 1/End-

A/N: so yeah… Tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So… I'm surprised that some people actually liked my fic… I'm not really sure of pairings here, so if you have any ideas… Please review and let me know! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; I'm not cool enough like that.

-Two-

"Wake up girly. I'm not going to wait here by your side the whole evening!"

Sakura was greeted with a rather rude awakening. She felt something incredibly cold splash on her body and immediately shot up from where she was laying. "W-what the heck?" She sputtered, her emerald green eyes shooting open to take in her surroundings.

Her nose wrinkled at the less than pleasant smell that assaulted her nose and her eyes narrowed in displeasure. She was in an incredibly filthy bathroom… And directly in front of her was a hobo…

"What's with that look?" Said hobo snarled. She didn't appear to be old, probably in her mid to late thirties. She could've been attractive if she weren't incredibly unwashed and smelled less like booze.

"It's nothing." She inched back, slightly afraid of the situation she suddenly found herself in. She was an heiress to the Haruno Company and was incredibly wealthy. That often made her the target of potential kidnappings and usually she would have nothing to worry about since she had a bodyguard… However, when she began to cry earlier, she had dismissed him and now he probably had no idea of where she was.

"Hmph." The homeless woman climbed to her feet and turned away. "Whatever you say." She quickly busied herself in gathering all of her loose clothing that was strung all over the floor of the bathroom floor, stuffing it into a plastic trash bag.

"…How did I get here?" She climbed to her feet and dusted herself off, her face scrunched in confusion. She was completely drawing a blank. She knew that she had been crying earlier, then… Nothing.

"Oh, it was that pretty…Boy." She explained with the roll of her eyes. "He and I have met awhile ago. He came over here saying that you just passed out and that he didn't know what to do with you."

The pinkette's eyes widened. _So the boy was real! I thought that I had just imagined him!_ "Where is he?" She asked, trying to keep herself calm.

"He's sitting on a bench right outside." The woman smirked at the young woman's eager expression.

"Oh…Arigato..?"

"Kisume. That's what I'm known by these days." She answered.

The teen grinned. "Arigato Kisume-san, for everything." She bowed politely and quickly exited the restroom.

-Break-

Hinata pulled her legs up on the bench and wrapped her arms around them, trying to retain as much heat as possible. _Who would've thought that it would be this cold?_ She thought as her teeth chattered against each other. She couldn't feel her fingers or her nose. Her ears were stinging and her lips were incredibly chapped. Her tongue dabbed at her lower lip, but only grimaced when it did nothing to relieve the discomfort.

"B-Being homeless s-sucks!" She whined with a pout, closing her eyes. She knew that she was being childish about this whole thing, but if she wasn't, she would be crying her eyes out by now. That really wouldn't be a good thing to do while posing as a man. Besides, she was almost positive that they would turn into ice before they even left her cheek.

The sound of a door swishing open then slamming shut caused Hinata to open her eyes and roll over to the source of the sound.

"Ano…" The girl from earlier stepped forward, a small blush dusting her cheeks. "Kisume-san told me that you brought me all the way over here… Arigato."

The teen on the bench gave the other a dimpled smile, unintentionally dazzling the girl. "It's alright, I-it really was no problem." Her voice adopted its deeper tones to keep up the charade that she was a man. Her lavender hues roved over the pinkette, checking for any injuries. "So you're better? You don't feel dizzy, do you?"

Inwardly Sakura was squealing her heart out. This attractive teen not only had a cute stutter, but he seemed to be genuinely concerned for her! "Iie. I feel much better… Oh! Where are my manners?" She too a few steps forward with an outstretched hand. "I'm Haruno Sakura. What's your name?"

Hinata froze. She hadn't even thought to come up with an alias! She glanced around frantically, searching for something-anything that would give her a clue as to what she should name herself. Her eyes landed on a wall not too far away. It was completely covered with graffiti, and one certain piece caught her eyes. There was a rather feral looking dragon snarling and had its claws risen, as if it was getting ready to fight. "Ryuu." She blurted. "Just Ryuu." She grasped the other girl's hand and shook it, oblivious to the girl's cherry red blush.

Suddenly they were both accosted with a strong gust of wind.

The slightly taller teen recoiled quickly, burying her hands deep into her skinny jeans and shivering.

The shorter female frowned and studied the slightly taller teen, sitting down on the bench too. "Is that all you have to wear?" She asked, disapproval written in her voice. She didn't understand why men always insisted on wearing as little as possible when it was obvious to everyone that they were extremely cold.

Hinata glanced down at her hobo gear then back up to the girl. "Hai."

"Why don't you go home and change to warmer clothes?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Hinata's expression fell. "Ah…" She scratched the back of her head, a small frown on her face. "I-I really can't do that…"

Sakura blinked. "Why?"

She averted her gaze to the hastily darkening sky and released a heavy sigh. "I was s-sort of kicked out by my otou-san."

The pinkette's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Are you serious? For what reason?"

She fidgeted beneath the other teen's intense gaze. "I made an m-mistake in my family's company… I a-accidentally set up two different meetings with two very important costumers at the same time. As a result, we lost one of them for our b-business." She watched silently as a mass of clouds blocked the sun, shadows clinging to her face immediately.

"For that one mistake? It was just an accident!" Sakura jumped up, clenching her fists. "I make the same mistake all the time in my family's business! My otou-san would never do something so harsh!"

"…"

"So where are you staying, Ryuu-kun?" She asked after she realized that the other person wouldn't respond to her comment.

"You're sitting on it." Hinata sighed, pushing her newly messy hair out of her eyes. "I was home schooled most of my life. I-I really don't have many f-friends outside of my clan."

"How horrible!" She gasped. "So you don't have ANY friends that you can stay with at all?"

"I was once friends with this one p-prominent family. We all grew close and everything, but they had to move because their tou-san was moving their headquarters to A-America. I haven't seen them in a couple of years." Hinata glanced away, not able to keep eye contact for too long.

"Oh my goodness!" She jumped back up to her feet once again, a determined expression on her face. "Then it's settled!"

"What is?"

"Ryuu, you are coming with me to my house and staying with me!" She declared firmly.

"Uh… Say w-what?"

"Let's go!" She swooped down and grasped the Hyuuga's hand, effectively dragging her away from her spot and out of sight.

-Break-

"Hinata-neesan!"

"Hinata-sama!"

Neji and Hanabi were searching high and low for Hinata, but to no avail. They were getting nowhere fast. They glanced over to the curb, where Hiashi was talking to an officer of the law.

"I'm sorry sir, but we cannot send out a search party until your child has been missing for more than twenty-four hours." The officer informed Hiashi with a grim expression on his old, wrinkled face. "I'm afraid that all you can do now is go home and hope that she either comes home or tries to contact you via telephone. Please, take care."

Hiashi watched helplessly as the older man climbed into the police cruiser and drove off, along with his last hope. He walked over to a bench and sunk down into it, bringing a shaky hand to his face. "Kami…" he muttered, his voice full of regret. "What a fool I was…"

-Two/End-

A/N: I hope that it was good ^~^ Sorry that it was so short, but I really didn't have much time to type this up during class. Please review and let me know what you think of this and also please let me know what pairings that you would be interested in reading from me! (Well, anything but Naru/Hina or Sasu/Saku. For some reason, I just don't do the couples justice whenever I tried before.)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Please enjoi the chapter and continue to let me know what pairings you may be interested in seeing oh, and from now on, I'm going to update my stories in order of which has the most reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

-Three-

Hinata groaned and felt the urge to hit her head against the wall. How did she get into this mess? She glanced around herself, she was in a crystal clean bathroom; it was Sakura's. This just happened to be her second time in here, her first time being the day prior to this. She was shoved into the room earlier by the pinkette and Rock Lee with some new clothes and ordered to shower and change as fast as possible. Apparently as of yesterday, she had joined the family and was considered one of Sakura's personal bodyguards.

-Flashback/Yesterday evening-

"My home is just around the corner, Ryuu-kun!" Sakura giggled, dragging the protesting Hinata along with her. "This is so exciting! Nothing ever happens around here!"

"E-eh? Sakura-san, I don't think that I should b-be going to your house!" The Hyuuga sputtered. If she were a female, it wouldn't have been allowed at all! She was pretty sure that even thinking it was not allowed!

The pinkette stopped in her gait and half-turned to stare at her for a few short moments before bursting out laughing. "Ryuu-kun, don't be so last century! Besides, it isn't as if it would only be the two of us. Some of the people on staff live with us and so do our bodyguards. It's like one huge family at my house!"

"B-But-!" She sputtered.

"I won't take no for an answer anymore, is that clear?" She interrupted the slightly taller teen, once again grabbing her hand and purposefully moving forward. From the back, it seemed as if Sakura was being a determined, straight forward minded girl, yet in reality, the pinkette was trying not to squeal in delight for she was holding such a cute boy's hand.

_This will be so weird! What do I do if they find out that I'm a girl? Will I get kicked out again? I can't handle it if they do! _Hinata reached out, her hand landing on the other girl's shoulder. "Sakura-san-." She said firmly, only to be interrupted by a loud, war-like cry.

"So it was YOU who kidnapped Sakura-sama!" All of a sudden, a blur of green and black flashed in front of Hinata. "That is something that I will not stand for!"

"Lee! IIE!" Sakura screamed from her spot off to the side. She had released Hinata and dove for cover for whatever it was that was heading their way.

A clothed fist came flying towards her face and due to quick reflexes and years of training, she managed to duck down just in time to dodge and counter with her clan's specialty, the gentle fist. She thrust her open palm into the guy's stomach, holding back just a little. The teen flew back and crashed into the wall. Hinata's hand flew to her mouth, an apology on the tip of her tongue. However she paused when he began to sit up; the boy shouldn't have even be conscious after that attack! It damaged the internal stuff, and it should've been too painful to even think about moving! He jumped to his feet and dusted off his green leotard—erm… Suit and glanced down at Hinata. Her eyebrows flew when she caught sight of his own. _He sure does have thick eyebrows. _She noted.

"You take me by surprise stranger. Your scrawny yet lean body does not even hint at the idea of you knowing anything about martial arts, yet you supplied such a powerful attack like that. Do not go getting a big head though, for it will not happen again!" He went back into his battle stance, his circular eyes locked onto hers.

_He talks in a very proper manner._ She thought, not bothering to move into her battle stance yet keeping her guard up. _He looks like he's ready to go again._

"Lee-kun, he isn't a kidnapper!" The pinkette cried from behind a pole, only for her cries to fall on deaf ears.

"Leaf hurricane!" The teen obviously named Lee swooped in with a low kick, which Hinata easily jumped over, then a high kick, aiming straight at her face. Years of discipline taught her to dodge at the last second so that the enemy wouldn't be able to change the direction of their attack, so she did. She jerked her head to the side, then her hands shot up to grasp his leg and she tossed him over her shoulder.

He was good, but he had nothing on Neji. She wasn't as good as her cousin was, but she was better than most after being forced to spar with the elder Hyuuga everyday for three hours since she was six.

"Gah!" He went flying and ran into a pole, crumbling to the ground with a deep groan.

"Ah! Gomen!" Hinata ran over to the boy's side and helped him to sit up. Her brows pinched down when she noticed that his eyes were shut. _I guess that I was a little too harsh with him. I forget that not everyone is as good as Neji-niisan. _She checked the boy for any permanent damage, and apart from a few scrapes, bruises, and a minor concussion he was completely fine.

Sakura was by her side almost immediately, her emerald eyes wide with worry and wonder. "Ryuu-kun, where did you learn to fight like that? I thought that you were the heir to your clan's company like I am!"

"I w-was." She grimaced when she heard her own stutter. She was supposed to be a man! Men do not stutter! "My otou-san believed that we shouldn't rely on strangers to help us when i-it is within our power to help ourselves. I've been studying my clan's martial arts s-style since I was five. I began to spar when I turned six." Her eyes rose to meet the pinkette's "I may not look l-like it, but I'm a second degree black belt."

Sakura's mouth dropped open and was fixing to reply, but was cut off by a loud exclamation. "LEE!" The whole ground seemed to tremble and shake as the screaming person came closer.

Hinata climbed to her feet and angled her body to the right, in the direction that the voice seemed to be coming from. Her lavender orbs widened when she spotted an older version of the unconscious bodyguard barreling towards them with tears spraying out of the corners of his eyes. His eyebrows were bigger than the teen's! "LEE!" He came to a stop before them and scooped the teen up, staring up at the moon with a heart wrenching gaze. "WHY?" Sakura's eyebrow twitched with barely veiled irritation and Hinata had a sweat drop on the back of her head.

"Calm yourself Gai. Lee is merely unconscious." A man with incredibly bright red hair stepped forward out of the shadows. He wore a business suit and had emerald eyes identical to Sakura's (A/N: I've never seen an actual colored picture of him, so I'm just guessing with the eye-color here. Sorry if I got it wrong!); they were locked on the Hyuuga. "Those were some pretty fancy moves there, son. Who are you?"

"M-my name is Ryuu, sir." She felt the need to hide from his intense gaze, and of course, there was nothing in sight that she could use as a shield. This man was incredibly intimidating, and she didn't even have a full conversation with him yet!

"Tou-chan, leave Ryuu-kun alone. Stop trying to interrogate him. He's here because I invited him to stay. He has nowhere else to go." Sakura walked over to the tall man and entwined his arm with her own. She sent Hinata a small apologetic smile.

"Hmph." The man's head lifted a notch. "I am Sasori…" He moved to turn away, but Sakura had a death grip on his arm it seemed and he reluctantly turned back to her. "…You will be permitted to stay in my home if and only if you meet two of my conditions."

Hinata gulped and tried to keep her cool. "S-state them."

"The first is that you become one of my daughter's bodyguards. As I said, I've just witnessed your moves, and you are exceptional at martial arts. My daughter is an heiress to my company and is often targeted by dangerously greedy people. You are to protect her at all times. Do you agree to this?"

"…Hai." _This is probably the only option I have anyways. There is no way that I can return home, and Sakura-san is a good person from what I can tell, so I know that she isn't a snob…This will be easy._

"Good. The second condition is very important, so listen up." The young looking adult paused for several seconds then smirked. "I don't know if you've seen yourself lately, but you're quite filthy. You need a shower."

"?" The Hyuuga flushed and reached up to touch her short hair in attempts to hide her embarrassment. Earlier, when she was moving over to pick Sakura up, she had tripped over a root that she hadn't seen and landed in a small puddle of mud… So she was dirty! Who cared? "I-I agree."

"Good. You can use Sakura's bathroom. She'll show you the way." Sasori then untangled his daughter's arm from his and moved over to the two other men in green and began to scold the older one for acting so foolishly.

Sakura once again grabbed his arm. "Come on Ryuu-kun, time to clean you up!"

-Flashback/End-

Hinata stepped out of the shower and quickly dried herself off. _What an unusual situation I'm in right now…_She thought, tying some cloth around her assets with some of Lee's gauze tape that he used for his hands. She only took a few strands, he wouldn't be missing them, after all, he had PLENTY. Once she was sure that she had a flat chest, she pulled on a black shirt, grey skinny jeans and socks, and finally her combat boots. She stared down at them with a sigh. The family had given her a whole bunch of new clothes, yet her combat boots, which were the only things that fit her WAY too big, were the only articles that weren't replaced. Of course.

A knock sounded on the door, startling the girl from her thoughts. "Ryuu-kun? Are you almost done?" A female asked tentively from the other side.

"A-Ah!" She quickly moved to the door and pulled it open, revealing Sakura who was wearing a dark red blouse with black trimmings and an ebony ribbon tied into the shirt. A plain black skirt rose several inches above her knees and she was wearing some black, furry looking boots that stopped at the tops of her calves. "I'm done Sakura-sama."

Almost immediately the pinkette's nose scrunched up in that of disgust. "Oh please don't start calling me that, Ryuu-kun!"

Hinata fully stepped out of the bathroom and scratched the back of her head. "B-but Lee calls you that… And so do many other people in your house…"

She rolled her eyes and waved the comment off. "Lee-kun isn't average just in case you haven't noticed. I mean, come on, he uses 'sama' when talking to the chef! And everyone else is just too afraid to use 'chan' when referring to me because of my tou-chan."

"O-oh…" If Hinata were wearing a tie, she would've been loosening it right about then. Her new charge could be very intimidating when she wanted to, it seemed. She must've gotten it from Sasori. "T-then how about Sakura-san?"

The shorter teen crossed her arms over her chest and glared. "Just how old do I look to you?" Her eyes were practically glowing by now, and she didn't seem to be one who would give up on what she wanted to accomplish easily.

"But I can't u-use 'chan'! It's too familiar, a-and I've only known you for a few hours!"

"Hmph! No one cares about those types of things anymore!" Sakura locked onto Hinata's eyes and held them there with determination. "Now say it, Ryuu-kun!"

"I-I don't know…"

"SAY IT!"

"S-S-S-Sakura-c-c-chan!" Hinata fell to the ground, as if just saying it wore her down. She was breathing hard and had a very obvious blush on her cheeks as she averted her gaze from the Haruno heiress with a pout.

"Gah!" Sakura cried, before collapsing herself.

Hinata turned to see what the commotion was and her lavender orbs widened on the sight next to her. Sakura was passed out it seemed, with blood dripping from her nose and drool spilling from her wide, smiling lips. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

The other teen seemed to be dead however, muttering something like, "How kawaii…" Before rolling over on her side and once again went quiet.

Hinata shook her head. She just didn't understand normal girls.

-Break-

Hinata's right eye twitched. "Lee… What are you doing?"

"HAHAHA! What a silly question, Ryuu! I am protecting Sakura-sama!" The thick eyebrowed teen replied. He wore some flashy lime green skinny jeans and a green and black striped shirt. He definitely looked unusual compared to Sakura and herself.

"I understand that, b-but…" Her eyebrow twitched a couple of times once again.

"But what?"

"Why are y-you practically glued to my side? In case you haven't noticed, I am N-NOT Sakura-chan!" She untangled Lee's arm from hers and pushed him across the seat before sliding on the opposite side of Sakura.

They were currently in a limousine, and were headed to the movie theatre. This would be her first time to such a place, and as such, she was a little antsy, but when Lee had sat down so close to her that she could feel the outline of him; that had been what threw her off the edge.

"Ah, so I see that you have noticed." He flashed a blindingly bright grin and gave her a thumbs up. "It is because I have decided that you are my rival! I cannot allow you to engage anyone else in battle or they too will see you as I do! I will not stand for that!"

"Lee-kun, leave Ryuu-kun alone." Sakura smiled softly. This was perfect. Not once since Ryuu came along did she think of Sasu-. _Iie!_ She shook her head rapidly with a blush. _He doesn't like me… He rejected me! It's time to move on… _

"So what is it that you wish to watch, Sakura-sama?" Lee asked. "How about a Bruce Lee film, YOSH!" He began to jab at the air. "He is the best and I aspire to be like him one day!"

"But Lee, we watched one last week! Let's watch something else for a change! How about a comedy?" She offered.

"What an excellent idea Sakura-sama! I too could use a good laugh. Bruce Lee-sama can wait for another week, ne Ryuu?"

Hinata blinked at him blankly. "Who is Bruce Lee?"

-Break-

"Ryuu-kun, come sit next to me!" The familiar high pitched voice caused Uzumaki Naruto's ears to perk up. His bright blue eyes scanned the length of the auditorium, smiling brightly when they landed on familiar pink hair.

"Oi, Sasuke! Look down there!" He exclaimed, pointing down about five rows. "Sakura-chan is sitting there with Lee and-… Hey, who is that guy?"

Uchiha Sasuke didn't bother to look down; instead he glanced over to his best friend and scowled. "Pipe down, dobe. The movie's about to start."

"But I want to go sit with Sakura-chan too!" He whined before giving the dark haired teen the puppy eyes.

"I'm not moving." He stated firmly.

"Hmph. Then watch the movie by yourself, I'm going down there!" The foxlike teen grabbed his bucket of extra buttered popcorn and stood, walking down to where Sakura sat with Rock Lee and the unknown male.

The Uchiha remained stubbornly rooted in place. That was until he noticed how every female within a twelve feet radius was staring at him hungrily with their beady eyes flashing dangerously. He quickly jumped to his feet and made his way over to the stairs. Dealing with Sakura, Naruto, and Lee was much more preferable to dealing with rabid fangirls.

-Break-

"Naruto! What a coincidence! Please, sit next to me." Lee moved his jacket out of the seat next to him for the blonde to sit in between the unknown male and himself.

Well, if you didn't know Uzumaki Naruto, he corrected it quickly. "Hello there! I'm Naruto, a friend of Sakura-chan's and Lee's. Nice to meet you!"

"Ah, h-hello there. I'm Ryuu." The teen smiled a dimpled smile that caught the young man off guard.

He stared at the indigo haired teen. He had looks that could rival Sasuke's, but there was a definite difference between the two. He couldn't put his finger on it though…

"Naruto-kun, stop staring at Ryuu-kun! You're making him uncomfortable!" Sakura reached over and slammed her fist across the whiskered boy's face before turning to the Hyuuga, who was covering his face with a incredibly red blush and grabbing his hand, simply holding it. Sakura knew what he had to be going through. He had been locked up in his house for most of his life with only limited interaction with people other than her family. When they had first entered the movie theatre, she had to hold onto his hand so that he wouldn't faint at the large amount of people (women) that were staring at him. Secretly, she didn't mind…

"Oi, move over Lee, I'm not sitting at the end." A deep voice pulled Sakura from her thoughts." Her eyes were itching to lift, to see the face of the boy that she had loved for so long, but found that she didn't have the strength. Her hold on the boy next to her tightened.

"Alright Sasuke! But first, you must meet my rival, his name is Ryuu!"

Hinata studied her pink haired friend before turning to the person that she heard earlier. "Hello." The boy was attractive, it was true, but due to the tightening of the hands holding her own, she wasn't able to be intimidated. She turned back to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

The emerald eyed teen stayed as she was earlier for a few seconds longer before blinking twice and looking up. "Hai…"

The group sat in silence for a while, and surprisingly, it was Sasuke who broke the silence. "So, does anyone want to explain why that girl is dressed up like a guy?"

-Three/End-

A/N: Thanx for reading, please review! ^~^

**Katarina Wolfe:** Heh, heh. I hope you realize that I put Lee in just for you! I'm still not sure of the pairings, but I knew that after reading your review, he would fit in perfectly with the story, so thanx!

**MariKatzuki: **Thank you so much, I'm glad that my story managed to make it into one of your favorites I will try my best to keep it that way!

**hinatafan711: **Thank you for the review, I look forward to your own fic's update as well!

**TLO2: **Dude, I wasn't planning on putting Sasu/Naru in this story, because it's only some mild Yuri, but I'm making a fic JUST FOR YOU! It's a Sasu/Naru and it will be called Just Friends. I'm not done with the first chapter just yet, but I assure you that it will be out soon! So please look out for it because you're the one who inspired me to write it ^~^ I have the summary at the bottom

**sweet-ouran: **Thanx for the support! I'm glad that you like it!

**Kibagaaralover18: **heh, heh, you'll just have to wait and see because that isn't until later in the story!

**Raven T: **I made it longer, just for you ^~^

**DarkHeartless12: **Thank you for the review!

**Lancelot-Albion: **Heh, heh you guessed right, but just not yet

I apologize if I misspelled anyone's penname! REVIEW!

Just Friends: Uchiha Sasuke had the perfect life and the perfect girl, Naruto. But during a mission he get's hit and is knocked out. When he wakes up, things aren't as they were. The first and most important thing was that Naruto, the woman he loved wasn't a woman anymore, SHE WAS A HE and not only that, but he keeps saying that they are nothing more than friends! What's a poor Uchiha to do?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you everyone, you're all so incredibly awesome! Your reviews inspired me to get this chapter out before I've even started with the others, so thank you all for being my muse! Here's the next chapter, and please enjoi and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

-Four-

Hinata felt her blood run cold. There was no way he could possibly tell, was there? She had wrapped a scarf around her neck to hide the fact that she lacked an Adams apple, and she had made sure that whenever she talked it was deepened enough so it could pass as a male's! What was it that tipped him off? She didn't know him, nor has she ever been in a business meeting with him; she was very sheltered for she was the heiress to the biggest corporation in Japan, and was almost never allowed outside of the Hyuuga manor, so he couldn't have seen her on a casual outing…

"What an utterly ridiculous notion, Sasuke! Please apologize to Ryuu at once!" Lee stood up from his seat with his clothed fists clenched, circular eyes ablaze.

_Oh great, here we go…_Sakura sunk deeper into her seat and tried her best to shield her face. Sure, she too was offended at her ex-crush's comment, and would have voiced it herself, but not how loud or flashy as Lee was about to. _He just had to go and get Lee going, didn't he?_

"Ryuu may have a face far too feminine for his own good, but he is a master at martial arts! He is the very essence of youth in this world today! He was able to defeat me in battle and did not even break a sweat!"

Hinata turned her attention away from the males, mostly to hide her embarrassment. Lee was so loud! Every person in the auditorium had their eyes glued to their group, and she wasn't so sure that she was comfortable with some of the stares she was receiving from both sexes. She now understood why it was that Sakura took to hiding herself; she wanted to do the same, but of course, she was a bit taller than the pinkette, so when she tried, it just made her look like she was hunching over. Her face heated up as the number of people looking at her increased. _How embarrassing…_

"Really? Ryuu, you defeated bushy brows that easily?" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly next to her and tugging on the girl's sleeve. "That's awesome! You've got to fight me one of these days!"

Hinata wasn't exactly sure of how to respond. She really didn't like fighting unless it was required, but she didn't want to be rude and shoot him down right off the bat…

Thankfully Sakura had no such problem. "He will not fight you, baka!" She exclaimed before slamming her fist into the blonde's stomach. "Naruto… He's my bodyguard and friend! He only has to fight when my life is threatened!"

"What? You never said that when you first got Lee as your bodyguard! You let him fight me as soon as I asked! Besides, if he's really that good, I just HAVE to beat him in order to get better so I can finally beat Sasuke!"

"Leave Ryuu out of your petty rivalry with him!" She snarled.

"Hn." Throughout the whole argument, Sasuke's eyes were glued to the newcomer. Said teen was holding his hands up with a sheepish smile on his face and a sweat mark on the back of his head, trying to stop the small quarrel. _Something about this guy is off…I can't tell what it is though, just by looking that is._ He wouldn't pry any longer because he himself couldn't stand it when Lee drew attention to him, but he would not just forget about it either.

"Oi, quiet down, the movie is about to start!" Several teens their own age shouted down from a few rows above them.

Everyone glanced up and slowly nodded.

Hinata hid her sigh of relief once everybody in the group cooled down and took their seats; however, she wasn't too happy about the seating arrangements. Somehow she had ended up in between Sakura and Sasuke. The tension in the air was so thick that she could almost choke on it.

Sitting next to the pinkette if it were just the two of them wasn't a big deal, in fact, she was glad that she had ended up next to her, but when it came to the Uchiha… She risked a glance, her heart almost stopping when she saw that he was examining her with narrow eyes.

"Do you need something?" He asked rather rudely as he caught her gaze.

_Think Hinata, what would Neji-niisan or Hanabi say in a situation like this?_ She quickly composed a blank face and bravely met his gaze. "Not from you." She paused, and then sweat dropped when he began to glare at her. _Oh crap, oh crap, he's glaring at me!_ She turned to Sakura, deciding that it was time to get some distance between herself and the Uchiha. "A-ano… I'm going to go get a giant s-slushy Sakura-chan. What flavor would you like s-so that we can share?"

Everyone in their group swiveled their heads towards her with looks of disbelief, outrage, and curiosity on their faces. Sakura was also rendered speechless; her whole face was slowly going red for some reason…

_What is wrong with everybody? They are looking at me as if I said something forbidden. I mean it isn't a big deal; we're just sharing a drink. Just two girls sharing a… _"A-Ah!" Her face exploded in crimson and she felt herself grow faint. _How could I forget? I'm a male in their eyes and what I just suggested was..! _"F-Forgive me Sakura-chan! I-I didn't m-mean to imply t-that-."

"Oi!" An empty box of candy hit Hinata on the top of her head, somehow managing to nock her over. "When I said shut up earlier, that applied to everyone! So pipe down or I'll-!"  
"Who do you think that you are; the movie police? You have no right doing that to Ryuu-kun you teme!" Sakura exclaimed as she jumped to her feet with her fists balled up at her sides. She snatched Lee's drink from him and threw it at the guy and his group. "That should cool you down, you-!"

"Excuse me!" A voice barked out. "I'm here to escort you little troublemakers out of here!" A woman in her early twenties and a gray security uniform appeared at the end of their row of seats. She had purple hair and a sinister grin. "Now, we can do this the easy way, or MY WAY!" Her eyes opened, revealing light brown eyes, somehow giving the teens the image of a snake.

"Never! Uzumaki Naruto and his friends never take the easy way out! Isn't that right Ryuu-?" He glanced around and saw that his new friend was strangely absent. "Ryuu? Where are you?"

Said teen was already standing next to the young woman with his head down, a defeated look and a small blush on his face. "Gomen N-Naruto. I'm always one to submit to the more dominant."

Everyone within hearing range felt blood trickle down their noses. That last comment was very… Unexpected…

"…Uki…" The blonde muttered in amazement with a glazed over look; he wiped the blood away from his nose before standing up. "Very well… I guess we've got to go with the old-." He leapt back, narrowly dodging the woman's tazer.

"Finish that sentence and you'll find yourself dead, kid." The young security guard warned, wiping her own blood off while sending the teen a scathing glare. "Let's go maggots, you're already wasting too much of my time!"

"C-come on Sakura-chan, we can go somewhere else j-just as fun." Hinata reached out and snagged Sakura's hand, gently pulling her down the stairs towards the exit.

"Hey! Do no assume that you are allowed to hold Sakura-sama's hand whenever you please! You are her bodyguard, Ryuu, not her boyfriend!" Lee shouted, picking up his sweater before leaping down the stairs to follow after them.

"Come on Sasuke-teme. Everyone's leaving us!" Naruto groaned, looking after the retreating teens longingly.

"I still think that something is up with that Ryuu guy…" Sasuke said aloud.

"You're suspicious of everyone new! Now come on," he shoved the Uchiha forward. "Let's get going!"

-Break-

_Ryuu-kun… He's so kind and handsome…_Sakura sighed in content as she stared outside to the snowy streets where people were rushing home from a long day at work. A small smile spread across her lips.

"Oh my, who do we have here? Forehead-chan?"

The pinkette was snapped from her thoughts and glanced up to see her archrival/best friend Yamanaka Ino. Their relationship was a weird one; sometimes they would be good friends and play around like average teens, other times, they were pulling at each other's hair and declaring their never-ending hate for the other.

The blonde slid into the booth on the opposite side, her trusted bodyguard, Aburame Shino, sat down next to her rather stiffly. She smirked. "So… I heard that you finally confessed to Sasuke-kun yesterday… How did it go?"

She flinched. _Enemies for today it seems._ She sighed and brushed her hair out of her face. "Ino, please don't talk to me about that today." She muttered with her head low. "I'm here with a few people and I don't want to break down right here in front of them all. It would just add to my list of embarrassments."

The blonde studied the girl across from her. She had heard that the pinkette had taken the rejection well, but it didn't seem to be anywhere near the truth. _It just goes to show you how unreliable gossip has become this day and age. _She thought with a frown. "So who are these friends you speak of? Males? Females?" She decided that a change of subject would be best. She'd eventually make fun of her childhood friend's rejection, but just not at the moment, she'd allow the wound to heal before bringing up the memory.

"…Sakura-chan?" Ino's thoughts were interrupted by a soft yet semi-deep voice. She looked up, and felt a wave of drool hit the back of her lips.

Sakura noticed her friend's expression and glanced up to see Ryuu standing there holding up an empty glass, with his head tilted to the side. "What would you like to drink?"

The heiress could see Ino's mouth drop open from the corner of her eyes and tried her best to hide her smirk. "Hm… Diet coke please."

"Diet coke?" The indigo haired teen's nose wrinkled cutely. "That's bad for you… Besides, you're already perfect, there's n-no need to go on crazy diets like most girls this days."

"Ah." _He's such a wonderful man!_ She squealed inwardly and gave the male a warm smile. "Then iced tea please."

"Hai!" The person known as Ryuu smiled back, showing off his dimples, making every girl in the room swoon. He glanced around in confusion for a few moments before moving away once again to the lines.

Ino opened her mouth, and then closed it. Every time she was getting ready to say something, words would fail her.

"Watch it Ino-chan. You're beginning to look like a fish out of water." Sakura teased with a grin.

"What? HOW AND WHEN HARUNO SAKURA?" She demanded, slamming her hand down on the table as if making her point at how serious she was.

"Oh, I just don't know! I seemed to have come down with amnesia!" She faked a distraught expression, enjoying this situation thoroughly.

"You sly minx! SO all this time you were pretending to like Sasuke-kun to hide any suspicions people will have of you while you really were keeping that sexy boy hidden away for yourself! You've got guts, I'll give you that, but wait until the girls at school see him; he's going to be even more popular than Sasuke-kun with such an amazing personality!"

"School?" She frowned. She never really gave it any thought. She glanced over to where her new bodyguard stood near the drinking fountains, blushing at all the women that had suddenly found the need for drinks at the same time and were surrounding him. Lee went to school with her, and now that Ryuu is no longer home schooled… _He's going to have to enroll too. _She realized with a sigh. Ino was right. Once he entered high school, he'd never hear the end of it from the mass of fangirls that will flock to him.

"Hello Ino-chan!" Naruto approached the table with his meal and slid in next to Sakura. His eyes flicked to the left of Ino. "Hey Shino."

The pinkette's eyes snapped to her friend's bodyguard. She had almost forgotten that he was there as well!

"Hey Naruto."

"…Hello."

"I didn't know that you guys were coming, if I did, I would've asked Sakura-chan to find a bigger booth!" Naruto glanced around the fast food joint, searching for another table.

Shino adjusted his shades. "Actually Naruto, Ino-sama and I-."

"Don't call me that, Shino-kun!" The blonde female complained while elbowing her bodyguard in his stomach. "You've been protecting me ever since we were ten! Don't be so formal!"

There was no flinching from the blow, in fact, they weren't even sure that the young man felt it, what with the heavy trench coat he always seemed to be wearing. It probably absorbed the hit. "Ah, gomen Ino-chan, but we have to be taking our leave. Yamanaka-dono called and requested your immediate presence."

_When did he answer a phone? I didn't hear one ringing and I sure as hell didn't see him answer it! _Sakura thought with her eyebrows raised. One thing was for sure, Shino was damn good at his job, perfectly smooth and fluent, able to do stuff like answer a phone without drawing attention to himself… He was an amazingly good bodyguard for one so young.

"Aw!" She moaned, "But I didn't get the chance to be formally introduced to—him." She grinned like a madwoman when suddenly the new male approached the table. Sakura rolled her eyes; Ino was so obvious that it was sad.

"Here's your food Sakura-chan." Ryuu said with a smile, sliding the pinkette's meal across the table so that it sat directly in front of her.

The teen would have said 'arigato' at that time, if it weren't for the sudden explosion of pain in her right knee. Her head shot up to glare at the female across from her. Ino just kicked her! _That little…_She shook her head and bit her lip to keep herself calm before turning to her new housemate with an artificial smile. "Ryuu-kun, this is my friend Yamanaka Ino; Ino-chan, this is Ryuu, my new bodyguard."

The beautiful male glanced over to the blonde that sat across from his charge and smiled brightly. "Hello."

The female propped her elbows on the table and stuck her chest out. "Hello~." She said in a low bedroom-like voice, her attempt at being 'seductive'.

"Alright, you have been introduced, now we must leave." Shino abruptly stood and dragged Ino away, who was staring at the new male like a child leaving a piece of candy behind.

-Break-

Hinata raised a thin brow at the new female she had just met as she was being pulled away. She turned to her friends and offered them a small smile. "Well, she was friendly."

"Hai," Naruto rolled his eyes, "She acts like that whenever there's an attractive male around, but whenever it's anyone else, she won't even give you the time of day." He said before taking a hearty bite out of his burger.

"Sit down Ryuu-kun!" Sakura said, once she noticed that the indigo haired teen was still standing rather awkwardly to the side.

"A-Alright." Her lavender eyes noted how the hyperactive blonde was already sitting next to her charge and how she had two choices. It was either the booth with the chance of having to sit next to Sasuke, or to pull up a chair and sit at the edge of the table. She would go for the chair…

"What are you waiting for, baka? Get in already." A voice said from behind her.

She half turned to see Sasuke standing directly behind her with a scowl on his unusually attractive face. _Doesn't this guy ever smile? _She thought, momentarily turning away to cry at her own misfortune. _Wait! _She perked up. _I can still drag in a separate chair and-. _All trains of thought left her when she saw that Lee had already pulled up a chair and was already merrily eating his own burger.

"Go already!" Sasuke slammed his tray onto the table and forcefully pushed her into the booth.

_Crap… Wasn't fast enough… _ She turned away once again to sob out her sorrows for several short moments before turning back to her food. She tore off the wrapping surrounding it and stared. She's only seen food like this in movies. She had never eaten it before because her otou-san had said that it was sloppy and distasteful, but he wasn't around now…

"Aren't you hungry Ryuu-kun?" Sakura asked, setting down her salad bowl to study her. "And are you really planning on eating that?"

"A-Ah, hai!" She stared down at her tray. It was called the western style spice burger. What was the big deal? Naruto had asked her the same thing when they were in the lines earlier. So it was spicy! It couldn't be that bad, could it?

_I can do this. _She thought with determination. _I mean, I can handle a little spice, can't I? _She picked up her burger a little awkwardly and took a small bite out of the rounded corners. Flame exploded in her mouth, and it felt like her whole body was burning from the inside out! Her face went red and her eyes watered to the point where she couldn't really see anything. "H-H-H-HOT!"

Sakura attempted to stand, forgetting that she was in the inner part of the booth, but was shoved back down. She looked around desperately. "Milk! Someone get Ryuu-kun some milk!"

"I will get it!" Lee bolted to the lines, his money on hand.

Naruto, like Sakura, was panicking and Sasuke… Well, he was just enjoying this while calmly eating his own meal, not disturbed in the slightest.

"Here you are Ryuu!" Lee rounded the corner of the tables with a cup of milk in his hands. Unfortunately for him, he didn't notice how close to his chair he was, and tripped over the leg, sending the glass flying… And somehow it managed to land on a certain Uchiha's head.

Said teen's eyebrows twitched as he turned to face Lee. "…You are so DEAD!" He jumped from his seat and tackled the green spandex wearer to the ground, hell bent on beating his face in.

"Ryuu-kun!" Sakura cried in horror as the poor teen seemed to have fainted from the extreme scalding of the tongue.

Naruto stared at his new red faced friend who was hunched over with spiraled eyes, and then to his best friend, who was trying to stop the bushy eyebrowed male from squirming away. "So, is anyone else wondering what the hell Ino-chan is doing in a fast food joint?"

Everybody paused to stare at the blonde. A good question Naruto, a good question…NOT!

-Four/End-

A/N: I hope you liked the chapter and though I'd like to thank you all individually like the last time, I'm under a time limit, so I need to say good-bye now. Please Review! (And continue to let me know what pairings you'd like to see).


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Sorry for the late update. Anyways, please enjoi the chapter and Review!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto I would be incredibly awesome all the time, which my friend Caleb tells me that I'm not… *Sigh*

-Misinterpretations/Five-

"What would she think of me now? What would she say?" Hyuuga Hiashi held his forehead in the palms of his hands, his greasy hair hanging freely in his face. He sat in the dark of his study, wallowing in self-loathing. He hasn't been able to sleep well, that fact plainly obvious by the bags that he had under his paler-than-usual eyes.

"He's been like that all weekend." Hanabi whispered, pulling away from the doorframe of her father's study where he would continue to sit in the dark to torture himself mentally. Her pearl-like orbs flicked over to her cousin, who was laying down on a couch with one arm draped over his eyes. "What are we going to do about onee-chan?"

"We've done everything that we can do Hanabi-sama. Now we just have to wait and hope that she returns or tries to contact us soon." He rubbed his blackened eyes; for he hasn't gotten any sleep either, his young features worn. He knew that he should've spoken up against his uncle and couldn't believe how much of a coward he was by not saying anything. He blamed himself for what had happened and wouldn't be content with himself until he saw his sweet cousin once more and heard her forgive him face to face. Nothing else would do.

The youngest Hyuuga began to pace the entire length of the room, worry etched into her features. "What if she's being held up somewhere against her own will? What if she's out there freezing to death in the snow?" she sat down with a groan. "This is horrible! I can't think of anything else! I can practically see her out there trying to snuggle next to a drunken bum trying to stay alive and not freezing to death while we're in here in the warmth! She's suffering Neji-nii, I can feel it!"

-Break-

"Lee…" Hinata huffed with lines of dread beneath her left eye. "The heat…T-Turn down the heat!"

The two bodyguards were currently waiting in the limo for Sakura to finish talking to another female classmate of hers. Someone named 'TenTen'. She had approached the three of them just after they separated from Naruto and the ever-so-suspicious Sasuke. And as soon as they entered the stretched car, the green clad teen cranked up the heat.

Said male blinked over at his new comrade, confusion written all over his features. "But it is cold outside Ryuu."

"I…*gasp* but I'm going to s-suffer… a heat stroke with it…this hot in here…" It was just like it in Sakura's mansion, incredibly hot. Even the floorboards were warm! The Hyuuga heiress ended up having to sleep with the window open just to keep herself from dying! Honestly, you would think these people lived in the desert with that much heat in their house. She pulled off her jacket and began to fan herself with her hand. Her house had always been kept warm, but not to the extreme like this!

Just then the door next to Hinata was pulled open, letting in both delicious cold air that the Hyuuga sucked in greedily, and a very pleased Sakura who immediately climbed in and shut the door behind her. While the pale eyed 'boy' whimpered from the loss of fresh air, Lee commented on their charge's glowing face. "You look quite pleased Sakura-sama! May I ask what has brought about such feelings of youthfulness within you?"

"I was just told by TenTen-chan that her family will be re-opening their dojo next weekend!" She exclaimed with excitement.

Hinata lifted a brow. "W-why are you so excited a-about a dojo, S-Sakura-chan? D-don't you have one at your h-house?"

"Hai, but this isn't just ANY dojo. It's where Tsunade-sama teaches on her weekends!" Sakura's eyes were now sparkling with joy. She turned to the confused looking indigo haired teen. "She's only the most amazing woman in all of Japan! Not only is she a medical genius, but she is an expert in martial arts! I aspire to be like her one day!"

"B-But I thought that you w-weren't allowed to learn martial arts…"

"I'm not; I'm going to the dojo because she said that she's thinking of taking a couple of people as her medical apprentices. Kami, I hope that she chooses me!"

_I guess that I've found the thing that Sakura-chan is really passionate about._ Hinata thought with a small smile. _It's great that she likes to do something that will be beneficial for others that are in need. A noble profession, the medical field. _She herself was interested in it at one time, but she was the heiress to the clan. She wasn't allowed to have any side professions. "I c-could help you study i-if you'd like." She offered. She wanted her friend to succeed where she couldn't.

"That would be awesome Ryuu-kun, but this isn't something that I can study for. She has to like you first before she even considers taking you in. I just have to do my best to impress her when I see her." She ran a pale hand through her pink hair with a sigh.

"W-well when do you go to the dojo?"

"Next weekend. School starts back tomorrow, so I'm going to be too busy to go during the week."

"Speaking of school, Sakura-sama, we must tell Ryuu the good news!" Lee turned his attention to the skinny 'male' next to him. "You will be joining us there! It will be so exciting to have my rival walking down the same hallways as myself! Hai! The youth never seems stop amazing me!" he threw his head back and began laughing.

Hinata's head snapped towards Sakura's. "Is this t-true?" Her mind was already spinning at the thought of being surrounded by so many people that could potentially be staring at her. _Oh no… This isn't good… This. Is. Not. Good._

"Oh don't worry about it, Ryuu-kun, I'll protect you. After all, we're going to have all of the same classes together!" She blushed a little and began to scoot a little closer to him, which went unnoticed by the panicking teen.

It wasn't, however, by the other male. "You should not be accepting any of Sakura-sama's protection Ryuu! You are her bodyguard, not the other way around!" He pulled his rival closer to him while sending Sakura a knowing look.

"W-What am I going to do about the u-uniform?" all uniforms looked cute, which is if all of those shojo manga were truthful in the fact that all uniforms were cute on girls and bishonen.

"Do not worry about it. The uniforms look good on everybody, including myself!" Lee exclaimed.

_This means that it'll look amazing on everyone! Oh no..._ She frowned and began biting her nails, only for a hand to pull it away from her mouth.

"Don't bite your nails, Ryuu-kun! It's bad for them!" She exclaimed with a frown.

_I'll be a bishonen…I'll be a bishonen… I'll be a bishonen! _"IIiiiiieeeeee!" That's what she would've screamed if she had the courage, but instead it came out more like, "I-i-i-iiee…." A very sad attempt in comparison.

-Break-

"Sasori-dono…" Maito Gai walked up to his redheaded boss with a serious look on his usually comical face. He placed a stack of papers on his desk and met the man's gaze. "…Here is all of the information that I've found on Ryuu… Well, more like Hyuuga Hinata."

"Hyuuga?" The pale man reached forward and leafed through the stack. "I suspected that she was a female, but not from such a prestigious family."

"Not only that, but they are searching for her. They're making quite the deal about her while still somehow staying quiet about it… What shall I do?" The thick eyebrowed bodyguard asked. "Should I contact Hyuuga Hiashi and inform him of-."

"Iie." The man smirked and placed the papers back in their respective order and placed it in his bottom cabinet. "Hinata-chan is welcome to stay with as long as she feels like… Do not tell anyone else of what we've found, am I clear? As far as anyone else knows, she is still a boy named Ryuu."

"HAI! I WILL PROTECT THIS SECRET WITH MY LIFE SASORI-DONO!" Gai gave his boss a soldier style salute before spinning around and exiting the man's study, saying something about youth and whatnot.

"Hn…" Sasori placed his chin on the underside of his palm and closed his eyes. This would be perfect for his daughter. Not only are Hyuuga hailed to be fiercely loyal, but their martial arts skills were the best ever seen by Japan. If there was anyone who would be perfect for protecting his heiress, it was a Hyuuga.

-Break-

She pushed her short pink locks out of her eyes as she stared out the window. It was around ten o'clock and she was sure that most of the people in the mansion had already fallen asleep. Everyone was early to bed, early to rise type, including herself, but she just couldn't sleep that night. She kept thinking of Sasuke and his rejection.

_Get over it already Sakura._ She scolded herself. _It was obvious that he wasn't bothered at all over it if this evening was anything to go by. I should just get over it and put it behind me! _She pouted to herself. _Maybe I should give Naruto a chance..? Iie. Then I'll feel as if I'm only using him to forget Sasuke._ She sighed in agitation and continued to look outside, pressing her head against the cool glass.

"Hot!" She glanced down below to see Ryuu jump out of his window and dive into the snow head first, steam practically flowing off of his body. She put a hand to cover her mouth as she giggled at the sight. _Poor Ryuu-kun. It really must be too hot in here for him._ All of the people in her family and that worked for her family had once lived in the desert at one time, so when it got cold out, they would all crank the heat up in the house and vehicles. She could tell that the newest edition to her bodyguards wasn't used to it being that hot, even in the summer.

The indigo haired teen's head popped out of the snow and shook himself off. He must've seen her looking down at him because he turned his curious lavender eyes to her window and smiled widely as he waved.

_He is so pure hearted._ She grinned and waved back, her cheeks heating up a bit.

He motioned for her to join him and she politely declined. She was one of those people who once lived in the desert. It was beyond freezing to her outside. She wouldn't join him, but she had no problem with watching him play in the snow like an angel from her spot near the window. Her breath fogged up the glass and she watched, laughing lightly whenever he would slip, worry when he wouldn't emerge until a few moments later, and smile when he would make snow angels. She watched until he waved again an hour later, going in with blue lips and a freezing body.

_I hope he hasn't caught a cold._ She thought right before sliding in under her comforter and allowing the wave of sleepiness to crash over her.

-Break-

"Come on out, Ryuu-kun!" Sakura was fixing her vest and waited by the door of her bathroom where her newest bodyguard was changing into his new uniform. She was usually a patient girl, but seriously, he's been in there for half an hour!

_Ugh… I knew it… I look like a beautiful bishonen. _Hinata groaned, staring at herself in the full length mirror. She wore a black dress shirt with a red tie, her pants were gray and her school sweater was an ebony color, just like the shirt that she had tucked in. To complete the ensemble, she, like always, was wearing the heavy combat boots. She had to admit to trying to spoil the image by making her hair messy, but somehow the action only served in making her more desirable to the eyes.

"Ryuu-kun?"

"A-Ah!" She pulled the door open hastily and was met by Sakura, who was wearing a female uniform that was similar to her male one, the only difference being that she wore a gray skirt instead of pants, and a red ribbon instead of a tie.

Her emerald eyes roved over her briefly and nodded with a bright smile. "Just as I thought, you look fantastic in that uniform! It was made for you!"

"I-I don't think s-so…" she said in her deepened voice, loosening her tie a little.

"Nonsense!" she reached down and snagged the Hyuuga's hand and began dragging her out of her room and down the stairs. "We need to get to school earlier so that we can pick up your schedule from the front office. Lee-kun is already waiting for us in the car."

"Oh no…" Here it was. The day that she dreaded the most. She will be closed in with so many strangers… horrible. It couldn't get worse than this.

-Break-

It got worse.

"What do you mean that we don't share the same schedule? The principle told my tou-chan that we would!" Sakura exclaimed.

They had arrived at school earlier than most students, only to find themselves in this situation. It seemed that there was one thing that the three teens didn't take into account when assuring the new bodyguard the previous evening: age difference.

"I'm afraid that Ryuu-san was put into all first years' courses. He's only fifteen and since we only have the information that he was home schooled, there is nothing else that we can do. He will have to remain with the schedule that was assigned to him Haruno-san." Shizune, the principle's secretary said with a sad smile. She had gotten a look at the new male and knew that he would have a difficult time with all of the boy crazy females that attended the school.

Said teen was busy sitting in the fetal position in the corner of the office, with only Lee to comfort him, tears flowing from his pearly eyes.

"Are you sure?" Sakura's eyebrows pinched down and a small frown made its way to her features. _Poor Ryuu-kun…How on earth will he cope? He barely survived the lobby of the movie theatre._

"Hai. Here's his schedule." She passed the pinkette the white slip of paper and watched as she examined it with dissatisfaction.

"…Well at least we share the same lunch period." She plastered on a smile and thanked the elder woman before she walked over to the hunched over male. "Ryuu-kun...? Please get up…I promise you that I'll try to get some of my first year friends to look after you… And we will have lunch together, so you won't need to worry…"

Hinata's head lifted a fraction, a hopeful light shining in her eyes. "W-We'll have lunch to-together?"

"Hai."

"A-And you said that you will send s-someone to protect me?"

"I swear it."

The indigo haired teen felt herself nodding. "Alright… But only because you're the one a-asking."

"Good. Now come on, I'll show you to your first class of the day!"

"O-Okay…" She climbed to her feet and allowed the shorter female to lead her by her hand down the empty halls, with Lee following right behind them.

"Sakura-chan! Oh! Hey Ryuu, Bushy brows! How's it goin'?" Naruto suddenly appeared next to them with a wide grin on his face. Apparently it was a good morning for him, for he seemed to be generating lots of positive energy, enough to bring Hinata's spirits up a little.

"Ohayo Naruto." Sakura greeted the blonde, allowing her jade eyes to wander back to the boy whose hand she held after glancing up to her old friend.

The hyperactive teen stared at the trio for a few moments, one of his hands cupping his chin with a thoughtful look on his face. "When did Ryuu enroll? I've never seen him here before!"

Hinata smiled softly and stepped forward. "I j-just enrolled today, Naruto…"

"Cool! Hopefully we'll have a few classes together this year!"

"Iie…" Sakura sighed. "It seems that Ryuu-kun is a year younger than us all, so he's in all first year classes."

The blonde's blue eyes widened and they flew back to the slightly shorter teen. "Whoa! So you're an underclassman?"

"Hai!" She giggled. "I guess t-this means that I'll have to c-call you Naruto-sempai, ne?"

All of a sudden, the hyperactive teen's hands were on her shoulders and he stared down at her with tears flowing down his cheeks. "Sempai! Oh, I love the ring to it! Arigato Ryuu! You're the first person to ever call me that! This is wonderful! I guess this means that I can call you Ryuu-kohai!" (A/N: For those of you who don't know, Kohai is the opposite of Sempai. Its what upper classmen call underclassmen.)

To add to the dramatic scene, Lee began to sniffle.

Sakura's eyebrows flew up and she silently begged him to remain quiet. _Not you too, Lee-kun!_

"Oh~! The power of youth is wonderful!" Tears began to waterfall down his face and he jumped over to the two younger teens and pulled them into a huge group hug, Naruto continuing his sobs while Hinata just patted their backs awkwardly with a sheepish smile.

_Kami…I need to find some new friends. _Sakura thought. "…Well, it's good that you all are pleased with this situation," She grumbled, "But have you forgotten that I have to get Ryuu-kun to his class before the bell rings?"

"Oh my! How could I have forgotten?" Suddenly Lee and the others separated; no evidence of their tears on his or Naruto's faces. "Come now Ryuu; let us walk the trail of youth to your first class of the day!"

They began to turn away, the pinkette pausing when she noticed the blonde lingering behind. "Is something wrong Naruto?"

The fox-like male just sent her a grin and shook his head immediately. "Iie! I've just got something else to do before class starts; I'll catch you guys later!" He gave her a frantic wave before dashing off and disappearing into the crowd.

_…Strange._ She shook her head before turning back to the two males. "Well, let's go you two, Ryuu-kun's class won't find itself." She glanced over her shoulder once more to watch until Naruto rounded the corner. _Something's definitely up with him._ She shrugged it off and with Lee's assistance, escorted her newest bodyguard to his first class, the three of them pausing at the door.

"T-that friend of yours, Sakura-chan, m-may I ask, is it a he or a she?" Hinata asked; her eyes glued to the ceiling. She pulled at her tie a little more, feeling all the more nervous with all of the eyes she could feel on herself. With all of the attention she was getting from the female population, she wasn't too warm on the fact that her protector could very well be boy-starved like all of those in her new class and that were stalking around the hallways.

"He's a guy." She answered with her hands on her hips as she looked around herself with a confident stance.

_She's so comfortable in such a place, like she's made for a place like this._ Hinata sighed in shame. How she strove to be as confident as Sakura one of these days. To be so comfortable in such a crowded place. _Baka. How do you even live in Japan? Its streets are always overcrowded with a large mass of people._

"Ah! There he is Ryuu-kun!" Her hand came down on the Hyuuga's, angling her towards the right.

Hinata followed the arm with her eyes, following until they landed on a tall dark haired male who held a sketch book safely tucked under one of his arms with a blank look on his face.

The male studied their group with an unusual yet distanced observance. Finally, after a few seconds of silence passed, a smile that screamed falseness stretched upon his lips, "Well, hello there ugly. Long time, no visit."

-Five/End-

A/N: Finally! I've finally had the chance to introduce more characters! (More obvious in the next chappie) Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, it just took me a while to get my grades and stuff back in order. Here's the chapter, please enjoi!

**Warning: contains hint of yaoi in this chapter.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0—Misinterpretations/Six—0

"Don't call me that, you teme!" Before Hinata could even blink, Sakura's fist was being smashed into the male's face, sending him sailing across the hallway.

"S-Sakura-chan?" Hinata moved forward in attempts to go check on the boy, only to be startled at the sight before her. There the dark male stood straight up with both hands held in front of his false-smiling face in an impenetrable looking block.

"You need more training than that mediocre punch if you want to actually make contact with my face, ugly." The male lowered his arms and moved forward casually as if she hadn't just attacked him. "So to what do I owe the pleasure? Most of the time, you only come to me when you need my help with something. What is it this time?"

The pinkette ignored the male's demanding question, a small vein forming on her forehead. She really didn't know why she continued to call this male her 'friend'. He certainly knew how to rile up her anger in the worst ways. Her jade green eyes flicked over to the 'male' who stood beside her. 'His' expression was curious as his lavender hues flicked between her and the inky haired male. _He _needs_ someone to look after him during the day while I can't be with him._

With a heavy sigh, she took a step or two closer to the slightly taller teen. "Sai, this is Ryuu. He's my newest bodyguard. I'd like it if you could watch over him during the day. He's a first year just like you."

Dark eyes riveted to the pale complexioned male. His lips twitched at the corners. He studied the 'male' for a few seconds before returning his gaze to the upperclassmen. "A bit ironic, ne? The charge wanting to protect the bodyguard." His head tilted to the side and allowed another false smile to grace his lips. "No need to worry ugly. I've got your man covered. I'll keep all of the other girls away from him if that is what you want."

Sakura flushed. Secretly, she was hoping that Sai would say that, however, she didn't want to deprive the new student from having friends… "You don't have to do that. Just make sure that no one bullies him or makes him uncomfortable." The sound of the bell jerked her into motion. "Well, I'll see you at lunch Ryuu-kun, Sai-kun! Ja!" She gave them a small wave over her shoulder before rushing down the hallway and rounding the corner.

"Hm. Well, come on, 'Ryuu-kun'. You can sit next to me in this class." He sneered, leading the Hyuuga into the already rowdy room.

_I don't have a good feeling about this…_ Hinata thought worriedly as she took one more glance over her shoulder where Sakura had disappeared. _But if Sakura-chan trusts him…I suppose that it can't be too bad._ "I'm coming S-Sai-san." She responded in her deep tones, following him into the room, the door sliding shut behind her with a resounding snap.

0—Break—0

Her eyebrow twitched; she was immediately regretting her decision of allowing Ryuu to attend school as well as soon as she entered her first class of the day. She could've convinced her tou-chan to allow this one exception, and knowing the man, after much persuasion, he would've given in. The reason?

Not even half of her class period has passed, and already there were rumors of Ryuu and his beauty. That wasn't her only problem; she couldn't understand why she even considered the ink-haired underclassman as someone to trust with the innocent Ryuu! Not only was he incredibly rude—mostly to her and Naruto—but he would most likely not go through with showing him around or even bothering defending him against potential fangirls. Poor Ryuu would be eaten alive!

"Sakura…Oi, Sakura!" A voice called, cutting off her train of thoughts.

The pinkette turned with raised brows to see that it was none other than Karin, one of her classmates who were at the top of the class, second only to herself and Nara Shikamaru. She was an avid Sasuke fan just as she used to be, and although they were rivals, neither especially hated each other. To them, it was all just healthy competition.

"Hai?"

"Is it true what they say about you being related to the new kawaii first year?" She whispered across the row in hushed tones. "They said that they saw you exiting the same car with him this morning and even went as far as to escort him to class."

"We aren't related!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. How could anybody come to such a ridiculous conclusion? She and her bodyguard looked completely different from each other! Despite both being Japanese, neither looked as if they were the same race!

"Ah. So then what is he to you?" Karin asked, adjusting her glasses.

_My boy-._ She swallowed at the thought, red claiming her cheeks. "He's my bodyguard."

0—Break—0

_He's staring again._ Hinata fidgeted, trying her best to concentrate on her work as she kept glancing up at the male known as Sai. Really, she couldn't help it. It was unnerving to have someone stare at you for so long without moving or talking to them. It seemed that they had plenty of classes together; their class schedules nearly identical. This would be their fourth class together, one class before lunch.

"I-Is there something you need?" She inquired, gently placing down her pencil to give him her complete attention. The words were supposed to sound rude, as she had rehearsed earlier in front of the mirror; however it just sounded squeaky and nervous.

The male cocked his head to the side for a brief moment. "It isn't something that I need…I'm merely curious…Why do you dress as a male? Are you ashamed of being a female?"

Her head shot up so fast that she may have suffered whiplash. "W-what are you talking about, Sai-san?" she chuckled nervously to herself, rubbing the back of her head in a sheepish manner.

"Do not bother with trying to maintain the lie Ryuu—whatever your name is. I'm an artist, and as such, I've studied every piece of the anatomy of the human being, male and female both. The bone structure that you have is not found in even the prettiest of males."

Her jaw dropped open. _What an unusual boy, he's completely interesting…Wait! _He knows her secret! "P-Please don't tell anyone what I truly a-am Sai-san! I c-can't go back…I've n-nowhere else to go!"

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a good five minutes before the ink haired male decided to bring an end to it. "Manly." The word was so sudden, so random that Hinata felt her face twist in confusion.

"W-What?"

"I decided that that is what I will be calling you for now on." He answered, reaching down to pick up his pencil before going back to his work as if what just happened was nothing more than a casual conversation.

"Why, i-if you don't mind me asking?"

"You're not manly in a sense that you are male, but you are manly because you hold the tenacity and strong will as a man does. In other words, you've got a huge pair of balls."

Her face went blank for a few short moments before the words and the meaning behind them sunk in. It was as if someone threw punch on her face because all of a sudden, it exploded in a variety of different shades of red. "S-S-Sai-san!" She scolded softly before turning back to her work; her blush remained there for the rest of the period and the rest after. That wasn't something she was so sure to be taken as a compliment, but then again she's never heard a compliment phrased exactly like THAT.

_Oh well…Maybe that's just the way that Sai-san is…_ She thought to herself during their fourth period of the day. "Sai-san, w-what do you call Naruto?" She's heard what he called Sakura, and though she didn't exactly agree with his odd nicknames, she was incredibly curious to see what he would call the hyperactive blonde.

"Dickless." He answered smoothly, not noticing her pale face. He quickly climbed to his feet and gathered up his satchel as soon as they heard the bell ring. "Come on Manly, we've got to go meet up with the others for lunch."

"H-Hai."

0—Break—0

To say that some people turned to look at them as they entered the cafeteria would be a severe understatement. It seemed that by this time, the rumors of her 'bishonen' looks have circulated once or twice within the confines of the social world. Hinata moved closer to Sai ever so slightly, her hand unconsciously grasping onto the back of his shirt as she stared at the drooling females and surprised males with something akin to fear.

She's never felt violated from looks alone before, but as Neji used to say, there's a first time for everything.

"Huh…I've forgotten where Ugly and Dickless sit during lunch." Sai said, dropping his satchel and books down on a random table. "We will wait for them here. I am sure that they will come looking for you in no time."

"H-Hai." Hinata sunk down into the seat across from him, gently reaching into her satchel and pulling out a bento box.

The ink haired teen glanced over with interest. "What have you got there, Manly?"

"Ah! It is a bento that I made myself before I got dressed this morning, Sai-san." She pulled off the lid, revealing generous amounts of pork, chicken and white rice. "Would you like some?" She asked politely as she broke apart her chopsticks that she had tucked in the side. "Itadakimasu!" She exclaimed with a bright smile before she plucked up a bit of rice with a piece of pork, happily pushing it past her lips into her mouth. She was far too hungry to worry about her stuttering problems.

"Stop smiling already; it can't be that good." A new voice said suddenly, the voice sounding directly next to her. "You're doing nothing but drawing attention to our table."

"?" The Hyuuga heiress leapt about a foot into the air, clutching at her rapidly beating heart as she landed. _Who on earth..?_ Her eyes snapped to the right of her, only to widen drastically as they took in the sight of incredibly wild red hair, intense seafoam green eyes lined thickly with black, and the red kanji of love tattooed on a porcelain white forehead. _I didn't even sense him when he approached, let alone sit down!_ "H-H-H…"

"Ah, Gaara." Sai smiled his usual fake smile as he greeted the male, not fazed in the slightest by the sudden appearance of the red head. "This is 'Ryuu', but I call him Manly." He angled himself ever so slightly towards Hinata. "Manly, this is Sabaku Gaara. He's a friend."

The male known as Gaara gave Hinata no other acknowledgement other than his first couple of statements. His eyes were locked on the male before her. He didn't speak, but judging by how Sai's lips were actually forming a genuine smile as he stared back, he could understand exactly what the teen next to her was communicating.

_Whoa…I feel as if I'm intruding…_She thought with a slight blush, turning away from the scene and busying herself with the task of taking in sustenance. They continued as they were for several minutes, and though she knew that it wasn't polite to stare, Hinata felt her lavender eyes itching to roll over to view what must've been a very intimate moment indeed.

"Ryuu-kun~. You're looking quite flustered right now." Sai's hand suddenly came into view and came under her chin, lifting it up so that she would have no choice but to stare at him and his 'friend'. "Are you alright?"

She flinched as Gaara's eyes fell onto her once again, not exactly hostile, but not too friendly either. "A-Ah! W-Well…T-That is…"

"Ryuu-kun!"

Never has Hinata ever felt more relieved to hear that voice than now. She felt the pale male's hand retreat and she quickly angled her head away from the two males to see Sakura, Naruto, and Lee making their way over to their table. "S-Sakura-chan." She scratched at her burning cheeks, trying her best to seem manly. Wasn't that what men tended to do when they don't want people to notice them blushing?

The pinkette immediately sat down next to her, greeting her with a bright smile before directing a reprimanding glare at the male who sat alone on the other side. "Sai-kun, didn't I tell you to bring Ryuu-kun to me once lunch started? What if he was attacked?"

"Huh. I seemed to have forgotten where you all sit. Besides, I doubted that they would've dared. Gaara's been here almost the entire time that we have. For some reason, whenever he's around, finding one's way out of a crowd isn't too hard, is it?"

"Oh…Well, I suppose its okay then…" Sakura trailed off uncertainly, her jade eyes sliding over to the male next to her sat. _As long as he wasn't sexually assaulted or something along those lines…_

"So, what nickname did you give him, Sai?" Naruto's arms crossed over his chest and a frown pulled at his lips. "I certainly hope that it's a little better than what you gave me!"

The group quieted. Nicknames were things that Sai was known for…What would he name the kind, timid male?

Sai watched in silence for a few seconds before sighing. "Manly."

"EH?"

"WHY DOES RYUU-KOHAI GET 'MANLY' AND I GET 'DICKLESS'?" Naruto exclaimed, slamming his feet on the ground in a child-like manner.

_It _is _a bit unusual…_Sakura tore her gaze from the blushing Ryuu to the underclassmen. _What's this about, Sai?_

"I just thought that it would suit him. He proved to be well endowed with large testicles." He said it so calmly and yet…

"D-Don't s-say it like that S-Sai-san!" Hinata flushed. "D-Don't word it i-in a way that they'll b-be free to m-misinterpret what r-really happened!"

"So? What really happened, kohai?" Naruto asked, leaning forward on the table, his eyes flashing with curiosity.

"None of your business, Dickless." Sai said with a false smile.

"What was that; you-."

"Enough." Sakura's stern voice caused all of the males to pause. "The both of you can't afford to get into another fight. The principle already said that you'll get expelled the next time that you do." She climbed to her feet, her hand landing on the Hyuuga's shoulder. "Come on, Ryuu-kun; let's give Sai-kun and Gaara-san their privacy."

Hinata's eyes riveted over to the males, her cheeks growing hot. _I knew it!_ She thought, putting the lid of her bento back in place before climbing to her feet as well. "Arigato Sai-san, Gaara-san." She bowed politely before turning away as fast as she could when the two of them began to lean in closer to each other. _To be so openly gay…_She coughed into her clenched fist and trailed after the upperclassmen. She was ready for some not-so-awkward company.

0—Break—0

"So how was your day, Ryuu-kun?" Sakura loosened her crimson ribbon as they entered her house, pulling it off entirely and placing it down on a nearby table. She half turned to see the male drag himself in, a look of utter exhaustion on his beautiful face.

"…So…Hot…" He huffed as he somehow managed to climb into the chair that was closest to him. "I-it was horrible!" He sighed and shrugged out of his sweater that he had put on earlier when they walked home, throwing it over the edge of the couch. "So many people stared, and girls kept grabbing me…" He blushed. "They grabbed me very inappropriately!" His lavender eyes flicked over to the pinkette, pleading. "Please don't send me there again tomorrow, Sakura-sama! Please don't!" His cheeks remained flushed as he stared up at her imploringly.

_But…This isn't under my control Ryuu-kun!_ "I'll…I'll see what I can do. I'll go talk to tou-chan right now, ne?"

The beautiful male nodded, his eyes slowly drifting shut.

_Hm… So he was more exhausted than he let on during lunch…_She gave the male one last fleeting glance before dropping her satchel on the seat opposite of Ryuu and walking off purposefully in the direction of her father's office. Her jade eyes were set with determination. _I _will_ help you on this one, Ryuu-kun!_

0—Break—0

"Iie." Sasori answered immediately, not even bothering to glance up at his daughter as he shuffled through some paperwork.

"B-But tou-chan! He's exhausted! He isn't used to being surrounded by so many people at once! It isn't good for his nerves!"

The redheaded male paused and glanced up at the teen that stood before him. "Ryuu is your bodyguard, Sakura. What good does he do you if he's stuck at home while you're at school?"

She cringed. _Good point._ "Well, _I_ could start being home schooled…" She trailed off at the knowing look he shot her. He knew that she only stayed home when necessary. She loved being out and about. She wouldn't last three days being home schooled.

"If you want to ward off the ladies, just tell them that he's already taken." Sasori said off the bat. _I don't think that it'll be a problem. I know for sure that the Hyuuga are all heterosexual. Even if Sakura claims Hinata as hers, it won't go anywhere._ He smirked at her flushed face. _Typical._ "But of course it would be nothing but a cover story just to get them off of his back. He won't be that effective if he's held back by a large crowd of females, ne?"

"H-Hai. Arigato tou-chan, I will get right on it!" She bowed politely and swiftly exited his office, her fingers already typing Ino's number. If it was going to be nothing but a cover story that needed to get out immediately, Ino was the one to tell. She couldn't help but love spreading gossip. "Hello? Ino! I've got something major to tell you…"

0—Six/End—0

A/N: For those of you who are curious, the Romance is going to start in the next chapter. I just had to set it all up so that the way I set it up still works.

Thanx for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Here's the next one! Thank you for the reviews!

**Warning: YURI, YURI, YURI.** (There. It was said thrice, so I cannot be blamed!) Nothing "M" rated though, so no need to worry!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0—Misinterpretations/Seven—0

"Ryuu-kun…?" Sakura hesitantly made her way over to the other end of the room when she heard no response from the male, creeping over to where he lay sprawled out on the floor in front of the large window. Jade hues landed on the still form of her bodyguard, his only movement from him breathing in and out.

_Oh…_She thought, about to move away, but paused to glance at his face. It was as beautiful as ever, only his cheeks were flushed and there was a slight crease in his brow as well as a small pout on his lips. _Aw! _She squealed inwardly, moving over to kneel next to his sleeping form. She reached out and gently brushed a few of his messy indigo strands out of his face, her cheeks taking on a pinkish hue when the bodyguard unconsciously turned his head into the touch. _He has such a beautiful face… _Thoughts trailed off as she registered the warm feeling that was beginning to form at the base of her stomach.

"Sakura-baka." She muttered to herself before climbing to her feet with the shake of her head. "I'm in no position for any of those thoughts." She turned; ready to walk away yet again, only to be forced to a stop when the soft voice broke the silence.

"Sakura-chan?"

She turned to see the male stretching an arm far above his head, the other shielding his mouth to keep his yawn in. Indigo hair was messier than usual and there was even a slightly dazed look on his face as he stared up at her blankly. "What did Sasori-sama say?" When she didn't respond, he only glanced down with a slight nod and a depressed sigh. "As I thought…" Lavender flicked up to meet jade green, and almost immediately a smile replaced the frown. "Though I have no room to complain…" He reached out, his surprisingly ice cold hands grasping her own as he drew her close. "You have taken me into your home with so little information about myself and haven't asked for any other than my name…Arigato, Sakura-chan, I am eternally grateful."

Thoughts were muddled. She thought of how little the male stuttered in the sentence one second before thinking of how handsome he looked to her at that moment. Her eyelids drooped and she started to lean in. "Ryuu-kun…" Her eyes slid shut and then-.

_Wham!_ The sound of the door being shoved open sounded, and a rather excited Rock Lee strutted in. "Ryuu-kun, my rival! We simply must spar today!" His circular eyes took in the sight of a flushed Sakura who lay out on her back, staring up guiltily and a bodyguard, who was on his knees, staring up at him with a look of uncertainty, his large hues interchanging between himself and their charge. The green lover paused, and leaned against the door with a rather confused look. "Did I interrupt something?"

0—Break—0

_Now I wonder what that was all about… _Hinata thought to herself as she followed Lee through the halls wearing her black sweatpants and sweater. _I wonder why Sakura-chan was all red in the face, and also why she left in such a hurry. _No sooner than Lee had asked the question, the pinkette had declared it to be nothing and sped off, her cheeks resembling that of her hair tone. _Perhaps she's getting sick or is sad about something. I _did _overhear a couple of my classmates mentioning something about how Uchiha-san rejected her…_She face-palmed herself with a look of disbelief. _Of course! How could I have been so insensitive about it? I'll have to go talk to her about it so that she can get her feelings off her chest!_

"Ryuu-kun, we are here!" Lee pulled open another door, this one leading to a wide room with uncarpeted floors and posters of different martial arts stances hanging all over the room. The taller teen leapt across the room before spinning back around to face her, a sparkling grin on his face. "We will be fighting until one of us either gives up or passes out! You may have the higher score at the moment, but I pledge here and now that **I **will be victorious one day!"

_Lee-kun is such a character!_ Hinata smiled sweetly and moved into her clan's battle stance. "I acknowledge your claim; please come at me whenever you're ready…"

"TO THE POWER OF YOUTH, AND FOR YOU, GAI-SENSEI!" With that, Lee leapt up into the air with a healthy battle cry before sliding in with an axe kick, only to be evaded and be sent flying in the opposite direction by a hearty hit to his side. He recovered before he hit the ground, righting himself before he once again stood straight and took his battle stance. "You and I will not be going anywhere soon." He promised his blank-faced opponent.

_That's what I was afraid of…_Hinata thought with a sigh. _Oh well, I guess that I can get to Sakura-chan a little later than I thought, but I _will _speak to her about the whole Uchiha-san incident._

0—Break—0

The female's heart was beating erratically as she attempted to keep her eyes off of the male who sat unawares below. It hadn't been a long sparring session between he and Lee; the self proclaimed handsome devil wasted too much energy in his showy attacks, causing him to lose in the end, though he did get in a good punch or two…

Sakura watched as the male chuckled at something that the exhausted male had said, a blush making its way to her cheeks. _What's wrong with me? I haven't even known Ryuu-kun for that long…I can't possibly be…In lo—…Iie. I'm probably just getting ahead of myself. It has to be a crush! _She climbed to her feet off of the rail that she had been sitting on before the males decided to seat themselves at the base of the stairs and made her way to her room. _I'm sure that if I start thinking of things that I don't like about him, it'll work for sure._

Her pale hand hesitated over the handle of her bedroom door as a thought suddenly hit her. _Crap. There's nothing that I can possibly hate about that guy. He's super sweet, nice, has those adorable dimples whenever he smiles…_She leaned against the mahogany door and thumped her head against it as she released a tortured groan. _This isn't going to work. Not where he's involved._ She thumped her head into the wall once more. _I'm just going to have to try to ignore him. There's no way that he'll be able to get me to fall in love with him the—._

"Sakura-chan?" The sound of the soft yet concerned voice called the pinkette to freeze where she was, jade orbs widening. "Why are you beating your head against the door?" The shuffling of feet came to a stop, indicating that the male was close.

She squeezed her eyes shut, offhandedly hoping that doing so would mean that she was asleep and doing nothing more than imagining the male who was at her back. For a while it was silent, leading her to believe that the action worked, but as soon as she thought it, the illusion broke, for a firm hand came down on her shoulder, twisting her around.

"Sakura-chan?" He repeated, so close that she could detect a whiff of sweat and his natural sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon.

Hesitantly, an eye creeped open, and landed on the very male that she had declared that she would ignore. He wasn't as close as she had initially thought, but he was still pretty darn close if she could see the outline of each individual hair if she looked close enough. "Ryuu-kun." She just had to acknowledge him! To do any less would make her feel like a heartless monster!

Dark brows were pulled down in trepidation, lavender orbs locked intensely with hers. "I noticed that you were acting a b-bit unusual before, but now I'm positive that something is bothering you." His right arm slid past her, creeping dangerously close to her waistline but passed it up without hesitation and pushed the door to her room open. "We should probably lie you down before anything else h-happens."

She flushed at the close contact but didn't struggle as he guided her to her bed, her arm feeling his loss of warmth when he immediately released her and took a couple of steps back. With a shaking palm, she shoved her fuchsia hair out of her face and nervously drummed her fingers against the mahogany bedpost, doing her best not to glance over at the very male who was making her feel uncomfortable within her own skin.

She angled her head away with effort. _Ryuu-kun, can't you see what you do to me? _She reached up and placed a pale hand on her neck, sighing heavily as she gazed out her window to the dark streets below. _How is it that you can't tell by now? I have a crush—._

"S-Sakura?" This time there was no honorific; that in itself was surprising enough to get her to turn, but with the added weight to her bed…She spun around and as if everything was going in slow motion, her dry lips collided with his slightly damp ones, and time slowed to a halt. It seemed that so too did her brain's ability cease to function, for she made no move to pull away. In fact, it was just the opposite; her lips were starting to move in a motion that she's learned from watching all of her favorite dramas, and her emerald eyes slid shut as a groan was released from the male across from her.

Was this really happening?

0—Break—0

She hadn't meant to get so close. Really, it was only an accident. She was merely going to sit down a few inches away from who Hinata would like to consider her new best friend, and to ask her what was the matter when she had accidentally slipped a few inches closer due to the silk sheets. The Haruno heiress' name had slipped out of her mouth in surprise and due to that, the female turned—way too quickly.

The sudden pressure on Hinata's lips was surprising enough; in fact, she couldn't do much of anything, let alone think about moving away. Cheeks flushed and a foreign feeling entered the pit of her stomach. _My first kiss…_ Her large lavender hues were locked onto the emerald ones that stared back which were just as wide. The feeling wasn't unpleasant, and for that alone, she was unsure of how to go about moving away. However, when the female across from her started to move her lips against hers in a strange manner, she couldn't help but release a low pitched noise that came from the pits of her lungs.

The sound surprised the pinkette, who immediately closed her eyes and reached up, her pale hand moving through the Hyuuga heiress' messy indigo mop of hair. The soft pressure on her scalp was enough to make her eyes roll in their sockets. And all too soon she was right there with Sakura, grasping the female's tiny waist and pulling her closer as she tried her best to mimic the motions that she was being assailed with.

They stayed like that for a good two minutes before either of them was ready to pull back for air, their chests heaving with exhaustion and embarrassment. Sakura glanced over to the heiress and smiled as she saw that her "prince" was flushed just as much as she if not more so. She leaned forward and kissed Hinata on the tip of her nose, only serving in spreading the blush to her ears.

"Ryuu-kun…I—."

"Oh Sakura-sama, where are you my sweet cherry blossom?" The sound of Lee's cries filled the outer halls, startling both teens to their feet.

With emerald hues wild, Sakura motioned for her bodyguard to hide in the bathroom, which the Hyuuga obeyed with much vigor. Once she was safely seated within the bathtub with the curtain drawn, she allowed herself to sigh in relief. Her cheeks were still flushed and the taste of the other female still lingered on her lips. And all at once, reality came crashing through the hypothetical door. _I just kissed a girl who thinks I'm a man._

That was it. She wasn't ashamed of kissing a female. When you want someone, you want someone she had always thought, but the fact that Sakura thought her to be a renounced HEIR of a clan…She felt as if she was a traitor to the female's heart….

And that didn't make her feel as good as she was feeling a few minutes ago. _So now the question is,_ she thought to herself grimly, _what do I do now?_

0—Seven/End—0

A/N: Yeah, I know a little short, but I've been getting wrapped up in AP exam nonsense and whatnot…Anyways, something to look forward about in the next chapter: Hinata's childhood friend is coming out!

Please leave a review and let me know who you think it's going to be! Thanx for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Here's the next chapter, please read and enjoi!

Oh, and I was asked what 'lie' meant, it isn't 'lie', but Iie (or iie), which is basically 'no'.

Also, please look up this fanfic called **The life I have **by **LovableChibi** this person was inspired by my fanfic enough to go out and make her own, so I would appreciate it if you checked it out

Disclaimer: I wouldn't be able to own Naruto without it having many alternate occurrences that would eventually just lead to confusing everyone…In other words, it isn't mine.

0—Misinterpretations/Eight—0

_How am I to fix this?_ Hinata's thoughts were chaotic in her newly jumbled mind, the thought of Sakura discovering the truth and rejecting her was too horrible to allow her mind to focus on anything else. _I mean, she only liked me because I dressed like a man, ne? What if she becomes disgusted with me and throws me out to the streets again? What if she calls me a freak or a liar? _Her breathing started to increase drastically, and hyperventilating seemed to be just where she was headed. _Wait, I need to calm down. _Her eyes flickered to the door. _After all, Lee-kun is in the room with Sakura-chan…What if he was to hear me? _

The Hyuuga struggled to calm her breath to dull wheezes before placing a hand on her frantic heart. _Maybe if I just sit still for a while, I'll be able to calm down…_She sat for about two minutes before her fingers started fidgeting uncontrollably and were magnetically drawn together to press into one another, a nervous habit that she had once had as a child.

She carefully ran her pale fingers through her messy hair and pulled the curtain of the shower off to the side as silently as she could. The sounds of Lee talking with Sakura in the next room over were loud enough to drown it out for a brief moment, and suddenly she found herself by the window. _I just…I really need to go think by myself for a while, and I won't be able to do that while I stay in here. _

She unlocked the latch at the top of the window and pulled the large structure open; the female shivered a little at the sudden heat and wrapped her thick sweater around her a little more securely. Lavender orbs flicked to the distance to the ground—they were on the second floor—before taking a deep breath and leaping off of the ledge.

0—Break—0

Sakura was itching to toss Lee out of her room. Earlier, when she and Ryuu had heard him bolstering down the hallway, she had felt as if her heart was going to erupt; she was relieved when he had came in, that way she could judge his future actions by his body language, however, all that relief left after sitting there for eight minutes, trying to make him leave without getting suspicious about her rushing him out the door. _Come on Lee-kun, I don't really think that ANYONE should be this passionate about tofu!_

"And the best thing of all is that there will be enough left for everyone else! YOSH! The youthful power of tofu!" He pumped his fist into the air before slowly climbing to his feet.

_Thank kami, he must be leaving finally!_ She thought, releasing a sigh that quickly became a strangled gasp when she noticed that he moved not in the direction of the hallway, but the bathroom in which Ryuu was hiding! "Lee-kun, where are you going?" She exclaimed, her hand coming down on his wrist, pulling his outstretched hand away from the handle of the door.

He stared at her with confusion written all over his comical features, his large brows pulling down. "I am sorry, Sakura-sama, but I am afraid that I need to use your bathroom."

"Why can't you use your own?" She asked almost desperately. She needed to think of something—fast! If Lee walked in on Ryuu, it would be all over! "I just had the maid clean it!" She finally continued, tilting her jade hues up towards him with a hidden look of satisfaction. _Nice one, Sakura!_ She congratulated herself inwardly when the male hesitated; however, she wasn't expecting his next words.

"Fine; then I shall clean it myself all over again to compensate!" He fluidly spun around her, bypassing her completely as he nudged the door open.

"IIE!" Sakura rushed in right after him, an excuse for the male on the tip of her tongue, but went blank when she noticed that there was no one in there other than the two of them.

"Oh my goodness, Sakura-sama, must you keep the window open in such a season?" The green spandex wearer shivered lightly to himself as he rubbed his cool shoulders with his bandaged-clothed hands.

_I left the window open..? _She shrugged while walking over to the window, feigning that she didn't care. "Hai, it was feeling a bit warm in here." She supplied the lie easily enough, her pale hand clasping around the window's latch and pulling it closed. _Did Ryuu-kun leap down from here so he wouldn't get caught?_ Her eyes flicked down to the snow encrusted ground, pausing when she saw a small, human size dent, and several small ones leading off the property. _So he did._ She smiled before pulling away. _At least he's safe for now._ "Well, as long as you clean what you use, Lee-kun, go ahead." She cast the now confused bodyguard before walking out quickly, closing the door shut on her way out.

_I'll check up on him later when he returns._ She thought to herself as she walked over to the edge of the bed where they were only a few minutes ago, kissing. Her cheeks heated at the memory and she lifted a hesitant and to touch them; yes, she would definitely be paying bodyguard Ryuu a visit as soon as possible.

0—Break—0

The cold air in her lungs stung as she breathed in as much as she could, tired out by the mad dash that she had made nearly halfway across town. She huffed in sharply cold breathes a couple of times more before glancing around with weary eyes, landing on an empty bench. Before she knew it, she was sitting on it, her long legs strewn out across, leaving no available room should someone want to sit; and for once, she didn't care. She merely pulled up her crimson scarf over her lips and nose, hoping that it would filter out the exceptionally freezing air that could cause pneumonia—something that she was quite susceptible to.

_I shouldn't have been so reckless._ She sighed, pulling her sleeved arm over her eyes to shield it from the rays of the dimming sun. _Even if Sakura-chan found out and didn't like me as a woman, I can never picture her just throwing me out—I was being an idiot._ "Baka." She whispered aloud before pulling her legs in and sitting up, resting her forehead onto her knees and tried to focus solely on calming her breathing.

"…Ryuu?" The soft crunching of the snow brought the Hyuuga to attention, glancing up over her knees to see who it was that had called out to her while using her alias.

With hazy hues she squinted, finally making out the male who approached. She nearly repressed her groan. It really wasn't her day, was it? "Uchiha-san."

Sasuke stood casually a few feet away from the bench that she was seated on, his hands tucked into his pant pockets. Blank ebony orbs regarded her with a slight twinge of curiosity. "What are you doing on this side of town? I thought that you were one of Haruno's personal bodyguards."

"I made a mistake." She blurted out without her consent, lavender eyes widening the size of saucers when she realized that she had said it out loud.

The tall male lifted a dark brow before taking a couple of steps forward. "What kind of mistake? You didn't hurt her on accident, did you?" He didn't really care at all about the pinkette's condition, but he didn't want to have to spend the next week or so listening to Naruto coo in sympathy for the girl; if what he asked really happened, he would be skipping for about three weeks.

"I-Iie!" She shook her head side to side drastically, her cheeks paling at the thought of attacking the female who she could possibly harbor romantic feelings for. "Nothing like that!"

"Hn. Well, that's a good thing, I suppose." He moved next to her, ignoring her blatant cringe as he chose to sit on the bench as well. It seemed that he wanted to talk more. "…So what did you do?"

_Is this something that I should be sharing with a stranger like Uchiha Sasuke? _Her mind thought frantically. He was giving her _that _look; the look that her father, Neji and sometimes Hanabi shot in her direction when they wanted to weasel something out of her and didn't intend to stop until they got what they wanted. _Well…He isn't particularly close to Sakura-chan anymore due to his rejection, and he doesn't seem like the type to gossip either…_ "Well…" She twitched a bit, "I suppose that it wasn't entirely my fault to begin with, but I know that I was perfectly capable of pulling away at any given time—but I did not and—."

"Slow down, moron, there's no way that I can understand a word you're saying." The raven haired male snapped. "Now, I don't particularly care for the extra details, like what kind of situation that you were in or what led up to it. Just tell me, what was it that you did that made you feel as if you did something wrong?"

"Ano… We k-k-kissed." By now she was reaching back to pull the hood of her ebony sweater up over her head, burying her face deep into her knees as her heart rate increased and cheeks flushed.

"…Wait, that's it?" An incredulous sounding response from the male. "You ran halfway across Konoha, over nothing more than a little kiss?"

"Well, i-it wasn't _just _a _little _kiss…" She trailed off, peeking over to him with her hooded gaze.

He was staring at her with an unusual expression, it seemed as if he wanted to laugh and yell at her all at once. "You made out with Haruno, big deal." He said as he finally found his voice. "All guys do that with someone that they dislike once in a—."

"I-I don't d-dislike Sakura-chan!" She exclaimed, leaping to her feet with her blush becoming more prominent the more she spoke. "T-though I s-sometimes don't agree w-with how she acts towards h-her friends like S-Sai and Naruto, I believe that s-she has a very kind heart, a-and she is also very smart and p-pretty!"

The mounting silence that followed the Hyuuga's small speech was incredibly uncomfortable, Hinata resisting the urge to go and hide behind a tree and Sasuke staring up at her with an amused smirk.

"You know, Ryuu…" He started as he climbed to his feet and turned his back. "I would've pegged you as a gay boy the moment we first met, yet here you stand, defending a girl you like." He flashed a smirk over his shoulder as he began to walk off. "I'm thinking that you don't have much to worry about when it comes to the Haruno, though. She seems to really like you. Just go back home, ne?"

"Sasuke-san!" She called out, jogging over to where he stood. She moved so that she stood at his side, her pale hand resting on his sleeve. She stared up at him for a few moments and tilted her head a bit to the side. "Arigato. I think that this little talk has given me the courage to speak of my feelings for Sakura-chan freely."

The male gaped at her for a few seconds, his hand shooting up to his cheeks in attempts at covering the embarrassed flush that had taken to his cheeks. "S-Shut up, baka. I'm sure that you would've been able to do it eventually without my help." He shrugged out of her grip before stomping down the road, losing much of its effect what with the snow on the ground muffling his footsteps which were meant to be loud.

Hinata watched his retreating back until he rounded the corner before clenching her hands into fists with determination. _Hai! I will confess my secret to Sakura-chan tonight!_ She was walking for a good three minutes before she entered a shopping district that she used to visit frequently courtesy of Hanabi's want for an ample supply of clothes.

_It's so weird…_She thought in wonder as she stared at the bustling crowds who were leaving the stores with their purchases, eager to go home. _It hasn't been that long since otou-san kicked me out, yet it feels as if it's been a lifetime._ She smiled to herself at the pleasant memories that this place brought her of herself and her sister. _Perhaps I should write a letter to Hanabi-chan soon, just to ensure her that I'm safe. I'm sure that she's—._ Her train of thought was abruptly cut off as someone accidently bumped her, sending her small body back into the snow.

"Oh my; gomen!" She quickly climbed to her feet, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment of running into someone while lost in thought. She walked over to the male who was on his hands and knees and attempted to help, her hands reaching for his shoulder.

"Do not touch me." The deep timbre of his voice was new, yet somehow familiar, and it wasn't until said male lifted his head did she realize why that was.

Her heart hammered in her throat and she barely managed to swallow past the lump that had formed there, feeling a bit faint. _W-What is he doing here? He's supposed to be overseas!_

The male's dark eyes narrowed in on her suspiciously as he climbed to his feet and picked up his fallen belongings, eyeing the way that she seemed to have frozen as soon as she saw him. "Have we met before?"

"I-Iie!" She turned to run off in the opposite direction, only to gasp as she was pulled back by a strong hand that had shackled itself around her wrist.

"I had thought as much; I'd notice those eyes anywhere. You're a Hyuuga, ne?"

She was shivering in full out fear. This could be the end of it all; her father would probably come and get her, keep her for a few months longer to make it look good to the other large families before kicking her out again! "I-Iie…" She stumbled over her words, carefully keeping her face angled away from the male with the shoulder length ebony hair with indigo highlights.

"…You aren't just any Hyuuga, are you?" A hand shot out and grasped her chin, angling it towards him, and at once their gazes met. Eyes widened and he barely managed to release a heavy breath. "Hinata-chan…?"

She closed her eyes and allowed a tear that she had forming to fall down her cheeks and off her chin. "Hai. It's me…Sora."

0—Eight/End—0

A/N: I know that it's been a while for something so short, but I'm already halfway done with the next chapter, so it's to make up for this one.

I was originally going to use Haku as the childhood friend, but my friend begged me to use Sora, mostly because he isn't that popular, which surprised me. I mean, he isn't that bad…Oh, and please review and tell me if I should include a small reminiscence between the two childhood friends or if you want me to do the bare minimum and get back to the SakuHina stuff.

Don't forget to look up **The life I have **by **LovableChibi**!

Anyways, thanx for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanx for the reviews, this is the first fic of mine that has passed the **100** mark! It is all thanx to all of you lovely people! Since the majority of the reviewers wanted a little scene between Sora and Hinata, I shall deliver, but only a small one since most people don't even remember him (he only appears in the anime if it helps). Please read and enjoi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0—Misinterpretations/Nine—0

"S-Sora-kun." Hinata lowered her head in shame as the male stared at her with his cool gaze. "What are you doing back here in Japan? I was told that you weren't going to return until after you turned eighteen."

"That was originally the plan." He responded dryly, "However, while I was off in the monastery, I had received a letter from a very worried imouto… Yours, Hina-chan." His calculating gaze took in her flinch before continuing on, "So I packed all that I could and returned, intending to aid my childhood friend's family in their search for her, but look at this. I'd never imagine that we'd run into each other so soon."

"I never wanted anyone to find me…" She murmured as she avoided his curious gaze. "I don't w-want to go back."

Dark hues narrowed in on her form, noting that she was shaking at the mere thought. _That's new._ He thought. "Why not? Has Hiashi-sama done something to you?"

"_He _is the one who kicked me out; I'm not going to go back t-to them." She sighed and wrapped her scarf a little tighter around her neck to keep the chill out. "I d-don't want to go through the p-pain of having to leave my family in such a manner ever a-again."

"He kicked you out?" Sora blinked before scowling. "What an asshole."

"Sora-kun!" She exclaimed in incredulity flashing him a small frown. "You're a monk! Y-You're not supposed to use bad words."

The male shrugged lightly before smirking. "So? He deserves much more than that."

"E-Even so…" She faltered for a second before swallowing past the small lump that had once more taken place in her throat. "H-He is my otou-sama and I s-still love him. I cannot simply s-stand by and listen to you d-disgrace him." She paused briefly, licking her chapped lips before continuing. "I hope that y-you don't plan on telling anyone that y-you've seen me…"

The taller teen stared down at her for a few moments before nodding. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want it, Hinata-chan."

Her lavender hues lit up as she stared up at him, her eyes shining with appreciation. "Arigato, Sora-kun. I'd like it v-very much if you didn't tell them!"

Sora slid a large hand into his ebony locks and brushed them out of his face. "Huh…I guess this means that you owe me." He grinned at her and extended his arm at an angle for her to slip hers through. "You can pay me back by accompanying me to dinner."

Hinata hesitated. "I don't know, S-Sora-kun. The person that I'm staying w-with is probably waiting for me somewhere. She'll b-be worried if I stay out too late."

"Come now, Hina-chan, we don't have any clue as to how long it will be when we see each other once more." He grinned at her, his cold features lighting up with the expression that he gifted few people with seeing. "I'm sure that this friend of yours would be okay with you being a couple of hours late. What could go wrong?"

"…Alright." She answered a bit reluctantly before looping her arm through his and allowed him to usher her to the nearest restaurant. _I'm sure that he's right. _She thought, glancing overhead to the looming moon. _There's no way that something really bad could happen in a span of a few hours. I'll just apologize to Sakura-chan and explain everything when I see her again. And then, _she smiled softly as her cheeks heated up, _I'll confess._

0—Break—0

_Where is he? Oh kami, I hope that nothing bad has happened to him while he was out…_ Sakura's fingers began to wring together as she tried her best to keep the bad thoughts away, but to no avail. _What if some hoodlums came up and wanted to fight him? What if he's stranded in some ditch somewhere, lying in a pool of his own blood?_ She groaned aloud and her hands shot up to grasp her pounding head.

"Good thoughts, Sakura-baka, good thoughts." She scolded herself, knowing that it was pointless. She was already desperate enough to call the police, and it hasn't even been four hours! _What would I do if he did end up being hurt like that? What would I do without him? _A small portion of her brain was screaming that it was illogical to be so dependant on someone that she hasn't even known for more than one month, but the majority of her being was willing to ignore all of that.

She loved his cheerful smiles that showed off his dimples. She loved his kind heart and accepting nature; hell, she even loved the way that his eyelashes were so long that they stood out against his nearly sickly pale skin. Those small facts coupled with the knowledge that he had the strength to protect her and would use it even in the face of a daunting enemy just made it all the more obvious. She knew that she was in love with Ryuu.

_I'm going to tell him._ She decided with a small fluttering sensation in her chest. _I'm going to tell Ryuu-kun that I love him as soon as I see him again, and I won't let him go no matter what! But first thing's first; I've gotta find him._ She left the window that she had been standing in front of for hours, striding towards the indoor dojo confidently.

Lee was in the middle of his evening training routine when she barged in, her jade hues lit with determination. "Lee-kun, change into something warm; we're going to go find Ryuu-kun."

The green lover paused, reaching up to wipe at the thin gleam of sweat that had accumulated over his brow during the intense training. "Where has my rival gone?" He asked, slowly making his way over to the doorway, where Sakura leaned against.

"He went out a few hours ago; when you were in my room, Lee-kun." She answered. "And he hasn't returned. I'm a little worried, so can you please speed it up?"

"Ha! Sakura-sama, need I remind you that speed is my specialty?" He threw his head back and released a hearty chuckle. "YOSH! I am willing to bet that I could be dressed and at the front gates before you even have the time to—."

"That's good Lee-kun, now get to it." The pinkette interrupted, moving out of the doorway and shoving the taller teen out into the hall in the direction of his room.

"But Sakura—."

"I'll be waiting for you by the gates. If you're not there in three minutes, I'm leaving without you."

The male hesitated, as if he wanted to stay and argue the matter a bit more, but knowing his charge's way. She was true to her word; should he be even a second late, she'd already be halfway down the street; she had picked up on that little habit from her father. His mouth shut with a snap and he gave her a tight nod before whirling around and tearing down the halls, ignoring the outraged and surprised exclamations from the other staff.

Meanwhile, Sakura made her way to the front, pulling on her favorite crimson jacket with its fluffy hood and deep pockets with thermals built in. It would be the perfect occasion to use it; after all, she had no idea of how long they'd be looking out in the freezing night for her bodyguard.

She then waited until it was one minute 'til the specified time that she had given Lee, and walked out to the gate, trying her best to ignore the cold, focusing only on the thought of finding Ryuu and telling him how she felt. That thought alone was enough to get her all warm inside.

"Sakura-chan, do not leave without me!"

The pinkette half turned to see the green clad bodyguard rushing towards her with flushed cheeks, either from the rushing or from the cold, she didn't know. A thin brow rose for a few moments before she smiled and gave him a small nod. "Hai, let's get going, Lee-kun; we've got to find Ryuu-kun!"

0—Break—0

"Why are you dressed as a man, Hinata-chan?" Sora asked, lifting his glass to his lips with unspoken grace.

"Eh? Well—you see…"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't wish," He intervened with his lips tilted up in amusement, pausing to take a delicate sip before placing it back on the table. "I was merely curious as to why you would even consider chopping off all of your gorgeous hair and why you decided to wear clothes fit for teenaged males." He leaned onto the table and rested his chin on the back of his palm, dark hues locked onto her anxious form, intrigued at how the candlelight only seemed to aid in hiding her true gender as the shadows danced over her face.

"It's okay; it doesn't b-bother me to tell." She reached up ran her hand through indigo silk, shoving it in a not too ladylike fashion out of her face. "The area that my o-otou-san dropped me off was a…A very bad area. There were d-drunk men, and women who were selling t-themselves off for money everywhere, so I took steps…"

"Steps to ward them off." Sora finished for her. He glanced away for a second, a small bit of unease filling his gut. "That still wouldn't have been enough. Some men are really that lonely, Hinata-chan; if you catch my meaning." He said gently, watching as she shuddered in revulsion. "But thankfully, you seem to have been able to secure a temporary home for yourself before such an atrocity could occur."

"Hai…" She sighed and picked up her chopsticks, lifting up one of her spring rolls to her mouth and taking a small bite. _Though I trust Sora-kun, I cannot simply give out my information. If Neji-niisan were to find out about this meeting between us, he'd do _anything_ to get the information out of Sora-kun…Including torture._ "So how is _your _otou-san doing, Sora-kun?" She asked, attempting to lighten the mood by changing the subject—it seemed to be the wrong move, for the male's face darkened immediately.

"He died a couple of years back." He muttered, glaring down at his clenched fists. "I don't really want to talk about it." The air surrounding the two of them suddenly changed from an air of gentle unease to that of depression and anger. Sora's usually composed face was contorted into fury, his fists so tightly wound that they appeared white.

Hinata blinked in surprise as the image of the kind yet firm father of her friend came to mind, her lips pulling down into a small frown as her whole body seemed to wilt with a sudden sadness. The only person that Sora had had left was now gone… When they were children, they were particularly close because of their shared misfortune of having a deceased mother. _And now we are once again the same. _She thought as tears started welling up. _The two of us no longer have a family to call our own; after all, mine abandoned me…_

"Let's talk about something a little happier, ne? All this talk of depressing things is making me lose my appetite." Sora smiled, leaning back to allow the waiter that had just arrived to place down another plate of food. "I'm sure that there's something better to talk about…Are you seeing anyone?"

The blush that appeared on her face was immediate, and she quickly stuffed another spring roll into her mouth, managing a small smile around the mouthful and sheepish gaze. _Well I have just recently come to terms with my feelings for Sakura-chan, there's no way that I'd be comfortable voicing them aloud to anyone who isn't her._

"There's no need to stuff yourself to avoid answering." Sora's eyes shined with amusement as he flicked a pale hand through his hair before allowing his slender fingers to grasp onto his chopsticks, lowering it to the plate full of steamed clams. He caught her staring at his plate. "It's a shame that they're so anal about the drinking age here. Steamed clams go best with sake."

Hinata nodded sympathetically for a moment before her face contorted with outrage. "Sora-kun, y-you're a monk!"

He feigned surprise. "Really?"

"Sora-kun!"

0—Break—0

"Hurry it up, Lee-kun; I can't afford to keep waiting for you! Ryuu-kun is out there somewhere and he might need our help!" The pinkette exclaimed from the fork in the road, glancing back with thinly veiled impatience to her bodyguard.

"I am coming Sakura-sama! But it is imperative that we check thoroughly before moving on to another area! We might accidently overlook an important clue!" The green wearer exclaimed as he scaled up a lamppost, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the swiftly sinking sun.

"Very well." She relented as she turned her jade hues to peek around the corner in hopes of spotting the attractive indigo haired bodyguard. She nearly sighed in discontent when all she saw were a couple of shady looking guys with a cocky looking female who positioned herself between them with a confident smirk on her face.

One of the males, the one with the incredibly unkempt hair caught her gaze for a fraction of a second before turning back to his company, motioning to her with a nod in her direction.

_This place isn't somewhere that we should linger._ Sakura nervously chewed on her lower lip and glanced away, just as the other male with most of his face covered in bandages and the female with long raven hair turned their attention to her. She stumbled back a step or two, unable to tear her eyes away from the intimidating trio. "Lee-kun?" She managed to see his form at the corner of her eyes, but he was turned away from her and atop another lamppost, determination flaring in his circular eyes.

"Lee-kun…" She glanced back to the small group, her heart nearly in her throat when she saw that the group was closer than they were a moment ago. "Lee!" She abandoned her post at the corner and strode to the base of the pole in which the martial artist clung to, eyes skating to the corner as she waited with baited breath for the trio of figures to come around any second.

"Sakura-sama?" Lee slid down and landed next to her, circular eyes tracing over her face with obvious concern. "Is something the matter?" When the pinkette failed to respond, he stepped into her direct line of vision, blocking her view of the corner. "Would you like to return home? I could continue in our search of Ryuu-kun by myself…"

The female immediately snapped her eyes to face her friends, softening when all she was met with was worry. "That's not it, Lee-kun." She stood on the tips of her toes to peer over his surprisingly broad shoulders, releasing a heavy sigh in relief when she saw no sign of the three hoodlums. "Never mind. Let's go this way and search." She offered the kind male a smile, grasping onto the sleeve of his coat and pulled him in a direction opposite of the way she saw the small group, completely unaware of the eyes glued to her back.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Dosu?" The male with wild hair asked with a smirk as he watched the pair turn around another corner.

He received a chuckle from the other male. "Hai, Zaku. The Haruno heiress is sure to bring in a decent amount of cash."

"Let's get going then." The long haired female grinned. "After all, she has ONE bodyguard with her. There's no way that he'll be able to take on all three of us at once. This'll be easy."

"Hai." Their eyes gleamed as they slowly began to follow the pink haired heiress and animated guard. "We'll get them once they get off of the main roads."

"And then," Zaku licked his lips maliciously, "We'll strike."

0—Misinterpretations/Nine—0

A/N: Man, I'm starting to get pumped up 'cause I know exactly how the rest of this fic is going to go! Not much longer I suppose…

Anyways, thanx for reading and please leave me a review


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanx to everyone who reviewed! Here's the next one!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0—Misinterpretations/Ten—0

When they exited the restaurant, it was already well past sunset. The streets were devoid of their fellow citizens, mostly because the majority of them were indoors, escaping from the freezing temperatures outside. Hinata shivered as the door slid open and was immediately greeted with a wall of icy air, burying her hands deep within the folds of her coat pockets and digging her chin down towards her neck to nestle safely into the warmth of her scarf.

"Wah! It sure is cold out here." Sora exclaimed, his breath coming out in small visible gasps. His brown hues flicked over to the indigo haired female, his brows pulling down ever so slightly. "Want to share a cab, Hinata-chan? I'm sure that that would be more comfortable than walking around in these temperatures."

The former heiress' teeth chattered as the cold seemed to sink into her, and as tempting as riding in a warm cab with the company of her childhood friend was, she knew that she could not. If Sora found out about where she was staying, he'd probably tell Neji, or even Hanabi, thinking that he was helping them to stop worry, while all it would do is have the entire Hyuuga clan come down on the Haruno residence and blaming them. _But I can't let that happen._ Hinata's cheeks grew warm; _at least when I'm there I can be in a new family environment, where people actually care how your life is going and how their day went. _She flashed Sora her dimpled smile as she carefully stepped away from him, folding her hands behind her back as she slowly retreated.

"Iie…Good-bye Sora-kun." She gave him a small wave before dashing across the street, narrowly dodging the passing cars that separated her and the male. She continued in her light jog, ignoring the male that called out for her, knowing full and well that if she hadn't have done so, he'd have tailed her until he found the location of her "safe house". _I'll just be sure to apologize for leaving in such a rude manner when I see him again._ Hinata thought with a wince as she reached up and pulled her fluffy hood down over her head to shield her ears from the stinging wind. _That is, if I do ever see him again._

0—Break—0

"Sakura-sama! I suggest that we go home and continue our search in a vehicle!" Lee shouted over the sound of the wind, his hand stretching out in attempts of dragging the pinkette back to the shelter of his body.

"N-N-No Lee-kun!" Sakura ignored the biting cold and managed to take a few more steps despite the numbness that has taken hold of her legs and hands. She could barely feel her nose, and her lips felt as if they were cracked beyond repair. She grimaced. Even Chapstick wouldn't help in such a situation. "W-We have to find Ryuu-kun b-before we c-can go back home!"

"But you are not accustomed to this type of weather, your people came from the dessert lands, remember? This cannot be good for your health!" Lee strode forward and placed his hand on her shoulder, watching with concerned eyes as she practically curled into the touch and sighed at the warmth that accompanied it. "I am sure that Ryuu-kun will be able to make it home on his own." He said in softer tones, his arms wrapping around her shoulders in a manner that he made sure that wouldn't be misinterpreted by any passersby. "He is obviously native to these lands, thus he will be able to manage the cold with more ease than you."

_My eyelids are so heavy…_Sakura thought, attempting to widen her jade hues. The cold only served to dry them faster and make her want to close them even more. "L-Lee-kun…I'm so t-tired." She murmured, her head lolling to the side to rest in the crevice between his neck and shoulders.

_This is not good._ Lee's brows pulled together and he swiftly lifted the Haruno heiress into his arms. _I must get Sakura-sama back to the mansion. I will inform Gai-sensei once we get there that Ryuu-kun is missing, but first thing is first, we must get Sakura-sama inside somewhere warm and get a phone to call for the car._ He thought, figuring that they were much too far from the mansion for him to run back to before she got severely sick. With that in mind, he spun on his heel and started back the way they came, almost positive that there would be a convenient store nearby that was bound to be open and with a working phone.

"W-where are we g-going Lee-kun?" Sakura's eyes remained closed, though her teeth continued to chatter incessantly.

"We are going to find a phone." He responded, not slowing down for a second, though he did manage to maneuver the pinkette's hood in such a way that the majority of the wind did not hit her in the face.

"What?" Her eyes snapped open and she stared around herself, briefly disoriented, before her heated gaze snapped back up to her guard. "L-Lee! W-We need to f-find Ryuu-kun! Y-you're going the wrong w-way!"

"We are going to return you to the mansion and then Gai-sensei and I are going to resume the search." He stated firmly, concentrating on memorizing which ways they had turned in the alleyways to get back to the street.

She would've struggled if she had the strength. "Lee!" She wailed, the image of a freezing Ryuu calling for her help in the back of her mind. "He could die out here!"  
"And so can you!" The green lover answered, his eyes snapping down to meet her gaze without flinching. "I am sorry that Ryuu-kun is stuck out there somewhere alone, but I am _your _bodyguard. Not his."

The female opened her mouth to refute, only to be cut off by the sounds of low laughter sounding from somewhere nearby.

"Wow…These rich girls are really a whiny sort of bunch aren't they?"

The green clothed teen paused, his circular eyes flicking this way and that, unable to accurately discern where—or rather who—the source was.

"You're right; man, this is going to be so easy!" Another voice, this one being a female's voice.

"Enough you two, we just need to concentrate on the Haruno. Be serious."

Lee's eyes swiveled to the left, just in time to see a male with wild black hair shoot out of the shadows and plunge his fist into his stomach, sending him and his mistress flying back to the wall.

"Ugh!" Lee's arms tightened around Sakura just enough to prevent her from falling from his arms, but carefully kept her separated from him to take the brunt of the collision of the wall himself.

"Oh, how sweet. He's such a loyal mutt." A female followed the smirking male from the shadows, her long hair having bells at the end where it was tied, jingling as she slowly approached. Her hand stretched out, reaching for the other female.

"You will not lay a hand on her!" Lee attempted to slap her hand away, only to cry out when a snow encrusted boot landed on said hand, pining it to the ground. His eyes snapped up in time to see a male with half of his face bandaged, his single visible eye crinkled in disgust.

"You don't hit girls where I'm from, friend." His husky voice sounded hypnotizing, somehow keeping the martial artist from lifting a hand in defense when the male slammed his fist into his face.

Meanwhile, Sakura watched from the sidelines in horror, unable to move thanks to her frozen limbs and the brunette's firm grip on her hair. "L-Lee…" She whimpered softly when tanned hands dug into her hair roughly, irritating her scalp enough to bring tears to her eyes.

"Quiet down girl, or my friend Dosu here is going to start using his knife." The female grumbled.

_Lee-kun…I…I can't protect you. I'm not…I'm not strong enough! _Sakura's eyes snapped open, and she glanced up, watching with her tear-filled gaze as her bodyguard's face was slammed into the wall. _Ryuu-kun…help. _Lee's legs were beginning to become rubber—she could tell, for when Dosu, the bandaged man shoved him towards the other male, the green clad teen stumbled lightly, unable to keep his feet stable underneath himself. _Ryuu-kun, help._

Lee was now being shoved between the two thugs, the crazy haired one laughing manically while the other one's low chuckles seemed to be holding darker intent. "RYUU-KUN, HELP US!" The scream tore from her throat before she knew what was going on, and before she could react, the female shoved her face first into the snow, attempting to muffle her screams.

0—Break—0

_I know that I heard Sakura-chan._ Hinata's heart was beating frantically as she started to run in the direction of her crush's scream, meandering throughout the alleyways that were connected to the main street that led to the Haruno's mansion. _I know that it's a bit cold out here, but there is no way that I'd imagine something like that!_ She dodged a couple of drunkards and females who were looking for a good time, her lavender hues flickering this way and that as she attempted to locate her new charge.

"PLEASE, HELP—!" The second scream sounded far more distressed and judging by the way it was abruptly cut off; someone had to be with her. _These are most likely amateur kidnappers._ Hinata's expression turned grim as she strode towards through the alleys, her mind buzzing with the new information. _While amateur kidnappers are far less experienced, they are also far more careless. They could accidently kill Sakura-chan!_ She spun around a corner and ran down the street like a freight train, nearly going too fast to spot the speck of pink out of the black and white background. _Sakura!_

If she were Neji, she'd have thought of a plan before barreling in, however, she caught sight of the thug shoving Sakura's face into the snow and Lee being pummeled mercilessly and all thoughts flew straight out the window. "L-LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

0—Break—0

Sakura's hearing was a bit muffled, but there was no mistaking that voice. Ryuu had finally made it. He would make everything better and they'd all go home and drink a nice warm cup of cocoa. That was what her mind was telling her anyways, until the female pulled her out of the snow, only to put a knife to her throat.

"Who the hell are you? Stay back or this girl will get it!" She threatened needlessly.

Ryuu stood there, his messy indigo hair falling gently into his warm lavender hues, his breaths coming out in deep pants as he tried his best to catch his breath. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, and his clothes already becoming wet from all of the snow that must have melted on him. She had never seen anything more magnificent than that before in her life.

"Let them go." Sakura could tell that the male was desperately trying to keep from stuttering, knowing full and well that these gangsters would take it as a sign of weakness and attack.

"Why should we?" The first guy, the one with the crazy hair and aggressive attacks barked, his eyes flicking over to his partners. "Who the hell are you that we should be listening to?"

Ryuu appeared to hesitate for a very long while, as if contemplating a possible answer, his hands at his sides and clenched into tight fists. "You…You don't want them."

"I'm pretty sure that we do, pretty boy. You see, this girl's the heiress to the Haruno fortune." The female smirked. "And unless you're the heir of the Uchiha or something of the like, I'm afraid we don't give a rat's ass about you."

"You do not want them…" The male sighed heavily, and in that moment, he glanced over in Sakura's direction, meeting her eyes for a split second. The female gasped at the wide range of emotions that flowed through his eyes, fear, sorrow, regret, and…Love. She inhaled deeply. Love. She could see it deep within the young man's eyes. Was he possibly trying to convey..?

"You don't want them because I can offer you something greater." Ryuu then reached into his shirt and pulled out a small pendant, lifting it high enough for all to see. "You don't want them because," his voice became lighter, taking a more feminine sound to it. "I am Hyuuga Hinata, the missing heiress of the Hyuuga clan."

0—Ten/End—0

A/N: Man, I'm tired. Well, I'm going to sleep now you guys; until next time!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hehehe sorry about the cliffy from last time, guys. Without futher ado, here's the next chappie that you've all been waiting for; it's a little shorter than the last one, but it's all I had time to do while my family is around. Have a Happy New Year!

Please read and enjoi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0-Misinterpretations/Eleven-0

The area surrounding them went silent. No one dared to move, not even the clueless birds that huddled together high up on the powerlines.

"I am worth far more than the Haruno as of now. If you let both her and her bodyguard go, I won't struggle against the three of you and ensure that you get at least double whatever price you're asking for." Hinata breathed, her breaths showing in small gasps of air before her, the mist curling around her face before going off in the wind.

Her lavender hues were locked onto the male with the bandages, for he was without a doubt, the leader of this little rat pack. "Let them go." She repeated.

The male cocked his head to the side, taking the smallest step forward as if he tried to intimidate the female. "What's to keep us from taking the two of you as our hostages." His only visible eye shined darkly in the dim lights. "The more the merrier."

"Having more than one rich hostage isn't recommended." The Hyuuga responded, her head raising up a notch. "You'd be in hot water if there were two heiress' missing. You'd not only have to deal with the public police, but also whatever means that both families have. My family has ties with the Yakuza. And I'm almost positive that the Haruno head has contracted killers before. With so many people after you, you'd never get away with the two of us being your hostages."

"She's just trying to make you punk out, Dosu! Don't listen to her!" The female with the long hair standing a few inches away from Sakura hissed, her brown hues glinting with greed. "Let's just capture her as well and be done with it!"

"Shut up." Dosu cocked his head to the side once more, regarding the Hyuuga female with a calculating stare. "Now, listen here, Hyuuga-chan. What's to stop your family from using their ties to the Yakuza if we take only you? What's to stop them from going after us with more force with only you?"

"Simple really." Hinata blinked hard, her the biting cold stinging her eyes. She chewed on her cheek to keep from stuttering from cold or nerves. "If you were kidnappers with more than one hostage from a influential clan, then what would be their first thought?"

"..."

"Their first thought, Dosu-san, would be terrorists." Hinata drawled carefully. "And what would you do if someone, who holds all the information to your family businesses and ties were to be tortured in order to give up secrets?"

"Ah." Understanding lit the young man's eyes, and he straightened ever so slightly. "Zaku, Kin! We will be releasing the heiress and her monkey. Step away from them!"

"Wait, I don't get what happened..." The male with the incredibly messy hair stepped around the sprawled out Lee, coming to a stop next to the shorter brunette. His face was scrunched up in confusion. "Why aren't we taking the two of them?"

"If we took the two of them, their families wouldn't be determined to get them back by paying any sort of ransom." His deep baritone was thick with amusement. "If we took the two of them, then their families would see us as terrorists, and as such," he glanced over to the indigo haired female who stood at the entrance of the alleyway, "they would be doing their best to kill them to keep them from spilling any secrets that we could hope to get out of them."

"...Oh..." The male who responded to the name Zaku shrugged after a moment before making his way over to Hinata, reaching into his back pocket and producing a black piece of cloth that seemed similar to that of a pillow case. He flashed her his white teeth. "Well, even if you told Dosu that you'll come willingly, we're not going to be taking our chances. You'll have to wear this for a while, ne, Hyuuga-chan?" He asked, leaning forward a bit to catch her eyes.

Hinata didn't get a chance to meet his gaze though. Her eyes were carefully trained forward, locked with twin pools of jade. A sad smile pulled at the corner of her lips, tearing her eyes away at the last moment. "Hai."

The last thing she did before they put the bag over her head was mouth two words.

'I'm sorry.'

0-Break-0

Everything was falling apart.

She didn't know what to do. Lee had passed out sometime after the Hyuuga's speech, and now they were stranded in the middle of a dark alley with no way of contacting her father. The woman Kin had seen to smashing her phone before she left her side to accompany her pair of goons, saying something about not wanting to have the police descend on them before they had a chance of getting away.

_And then there's the thing with Ry-Iie. Hinata-san._ Her mind was still boggling at the thought of her beloved 'Ryuu-kun' being a female. Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. She should be mad, that was what any logical person would do. The Hyuuga female had tricked her, lied about being a male and had taken up a post in her home as her bodyguard to stay off the streets. She should hate her, but...

_But I fell in love. I don't care if Ryuu-kun is really Hinata-chan._ She sniffled lightly, attempting to climb onto her numb legs, only to fall short and end up on her bum once more. _I still love that she comforted me when I needed to be comforted. I love that she was never mean to Lee unlike most people I know. I love that little crinkle in her nose whenever she doesn't understand something. I love that look of fierce determination in her eyes whenever she and Lee are sparring. And I saw that look that she gave me before she revealed her true identity. She loves me as well, and I..._ "I love her too."

"You love who?" Lee's voice drew the heiress from her thoughts, who immediately turned and addressed her bodyguard.

"Lee-kun!" Her hands fluttered about the male for a few moments, dabbing off the speedily drying blood from his lips and nose, her hands fluttering around him uselessly once she was done. She didn't have any of her ointments for the bruising that was already starting to show up on his pale skin. "Thank Kami you're all right!"

"What has happened? What happened to those hoodlums?" He was struggling to focus his eyes, his thick brows pulling down in irritation when everything continued to blur together. They rolled over to the mass of red and pink, lingering there for a moment, for he knew that that was his Sakura-hime. "What about you? Are you all right, Sakura-sama?"

"I'm fine Lee-kun." She waved off his concerns and put an arm around his waist, drawing him to her as she attempted to stand once more. "We need to hurry back to the mannor and tell tou-san what happened!"

He blinked, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet, trying to keep as much of his weight as he could. "I am sorry Sakura-sama, but I do not follow. I am afraid that I do not recall much. The last thing I remember is that Ryuu-kun..." He got a far away look on his face before his eyes widened dramatically and his mouth formed a suprised 'O'. "Ryuu-kun is really Hyuuga Hinata-sama! The heiress of the noble Hyuuga!" His eyes continued to widen. "She-She lied to us!"

"Oh, nevermind that now, Lee-kun! She practically put her life in their hands just to spare the two of us! She saved us, now it's our turn to save her!" Sakura sped up a bit, now practically dragging the taller teen behind her.

"YOSH! WE WILL RESCUE THE VALLIANT RY-er...HINATA-SAMA!" The thick eyebrowed male took more of his weight onto himself, speeding them up a bit until they were practically running.

0-Break-0

The dark haired male barged into the room with a triumphant smirk on his face. He usually wasn't one to gloat, but he loved the fact that he managed to do what the 'genius' of the Hyuuga clan could not.

Neji glanced up from his book, his brows furrowing a bit at the sight of the smug Sora leaning against the doorframe. "Hai?"

"I just met up with a friend of mine." Sora responded, his arms crossing over his chest.

"..." The Hyuuga male blinked. "Congratulations..?"

"A childhood friend of mine... The only childhood friend."

Neji was on the male before he could even blink, the elder male staring at him with eyes widened. "Hi...Hinata-sama..?"

"Hai. She-."

"Why the hell didn't you bring her with you, Sora?" The brunette growled, grabbing the monk by his collar and lifting him up a little. Ivory hues were narrowed dangerously. "Why is it that you did not drag Hinata-sama back with you? You know what her absence is doing to Hanabi and Hiashi-sama. They are slowly losing hope of ever seeing her again."

"Hmph. You think that she would have let me force her back if she didn't wish to return?" He snorted. "We both know that I know nothing of martial arts. She would've kicked my ass before she allowed me to bring her within a thousand feet of Hyuuga manor." Sora shrugged out of the long haired male's grasp, straightening his shirt for a brief moment as he stared at the desperation and loss in the elder teen's eyes.

"Damn it. Damn it all to hell!" Neji growled, his hand slamming into his bookshelf. "I should have protested harder. I shouldn't have cared if Hiashi-sama would throw me out into the streets as he threatened!" He sucked in a deep breath before he lightly banged his head against the wall, his eyes drifting shut. "I should have at least been by her side. If we were stranded together, at least I would have known where she is at all times and would have known that she would always be safe. I'm not able to know now. Where is she staying? Is it comfortable? Do the people there treat her as they should?"

He slammed his head into the wall once more, this time a little harder, earning a snort from behind him.

"As much as this slapstick comedy routine is amusing me, I guess it'd be pretty bad if I didn't mention that I managed to plant a bug on her clothes."

Neji half turned, his eyes staring down at the teen with disbelief as he watched the male produce a small device from his pockets. "Y-You mean to say..."

Sora smirked knowingly. "I was trying to tell you earlier before you started to choke me for not bringing her with me. Honestly, for someone who's always meditating, you have no patience at all."

"What the hell does that matter when it involves Hinata-sama?"

Before Sora could retort, the device was snatched from his hands, and he was shoved from the doorway, Neji practically running him over. "Oi! Is this the thanks I get? Where are you going?"

"This needs to get to Hinata-sama's professional tracker, Kakashi-san! Arigato, Sora-baka!" The Hyuuga called over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

"..." Sora watched with a blank look on his face before it broke out into another smirk. "Heh, brotherly love at its finest." He slowly climbed to his feet, brushing off his clothes for the second time that evening. "Well, at least this means that you'll be saved, Hinata-chan." He smiled softly. "It'll be good to see you safe once more, and who knows, maybe you'll be able to introduce me to the person who was kind enough to shelter you during your absence..."

0-Eleven/End-0

A/N: So this fic is almost over guys! I'm thinking maybe four more chappies should wrap it up x3!

Please leave me a review, and once more, have a Happy New Year!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: So here's the next one, guys! Thanx for the reviews! I updated sooner and made the chapter longer!

Please read and enjoi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0-Misinterpretations/Twelve-0

"I see... I ask that you don't accompany my team, Neji-kun."

The Hyuuga male stared up in avid disbelief as the silver haired man gently pulled the tracking device from his grasp, motioning for his men in the background to start heading out. "Why not Kakashi-san? We both know that Hinata-sama will be uneasy with so many strangers around, she'll need to see a familiar face!"

The cloth on the elder male's face kept the teen from being able to read his reaction to the comment. He was only given a shrug, a gesture that surely meant little.

"First of all, we have no idea what sort of situation Hinata-sama is in. If she is in danger, or even completely safe for that matter, my team will work better independently and without the help of Hyuuga itself. Secondly," the male paused briefly as he allowed one of his men to pass by before catching Neji's eyes with his own. "I've known her since she was twelve, Neji-kun. She is familiar with myself as well. I'll see to it that she isn't uncomfortable." He allowed the words some time to settle into the young man's brain, only to be met with stubborn denial.

"That doesn't matter to me, Kakashi-san. You may suggest that I don't come along, but you have no authority over me. I am going."

The two of them stared each other down for several seconds before the silver haired man released a slow sigh. "Very well. But I will not allow any of my men to be slowed by you. You will have to pull your own weight around here." He turned and started to stride off, heading towards the garage where their vehicles were stationed.

The long haired teen allowed a small smirk before jogging after him with ease. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

0-Break-0

Sakura almost crumpled to the floor in relief once the initial wave of heat hit her face upon entering the mansion. They made it! She managed to keep from face planting the carpet, her shaky yet firm knees halting her descent.

"Sakura-sama, are you alright?" Lee limped forward to assist his charge, only for her to shake her hand in a motion for him to go away.

"Don't worry about me, Lee. Go and find Gai-san and otou-chan. Tell them what happened." Her jade hues were steady and she managed a smile despite the pain in her lips from being so chapped courtesy of the unstable wind outside.

"If you are sure..." The green clothed male flashed her his pearly whites and saluted her before making his way down the hall in an awkward hop-along-jog, giving the female a few minutes to gather her bearings and regain her composure.

"Hinata-chan..." She closed her eyes and allowed a shaky breath to escape her mouth, closing her eyes as she remembered the look on the other heiress' face before the wretched bag went over her head. "I swear that I'll save you; if it's the last thing that I do." Sakura allowed herself a few more minutes of warming up before climbing to feet, being mindful of her sore limbs and inflamed legs.

She had to cling to a nearby wall, knowing full and well that her jelly-like legs wouldn't have the strength to hold her weight for much longer. She wasn't used to so much physical activity. Usually when such things were needed, she'd have someone else do it for her, but not this time. This time she had to carry her own weight and Lee's; all the while trying to run as fast as she could to the mannor.

_Things are going to change starting now._ She grimaced. _After this, I'm going to tell tou-chan that I will need self defense lessons. I'm not going to allow myself to be as helpless as I was tonight._ She recalled the image of the defeated Hinata, giving her life in exchange for Lee and herself. _I don't want to have the people that I care for sacrificing themselves for my sake any longer. _

She hobbled over to the nearest chair, releasing a small hiss in pain as her stiff body struggled to relax into it's welcoming soft surface. She set her head back, not moving until the soft patter of feet hitting the carpeted floor reached her ears.

"Sakura-sama! Lee-kun has informed me of Hinata-sama's kidnapping! Sasori-sama sent me ahead to check you over for injuries!" Gai's exuberant voice nearly deafened the pinkette in an instant, her slugish reflexes keeping her from clamping her hands over her ears as per usual.

"It's nothing." Sakura's ears were ringing as she said so, her voice sounding muffled to herself. "Nothing that a hot bath and rest won't cure, at least." She moved to sit up, only to stop at the feeling of a pair of soft hands coming down on her shoulders and easing her back down into the cushions. She threw her head back to snap at the owner of said hands, only to stop short as her eyes collided with chocolate brown. "Tou-chan..."

"You need to take it easy, daughter. You cannot continue on like this, your body isn't accustomed to the strain." His velvet voice washing over her and calming her nerves. "I'll have one of your maids to escort you upstairs and draw a bath for you."

The pinkette almost found herself nodding, catching herself at the last moment with a scowl. "Iie. I'm going to help in the rescuing of Hyuuga Hinata."

She and Sasori stared each other down for a good minute and a half, neither one of them backing down.

The red head's mouth was pulled into a tight line as he regarded his daughter with a careful look. "There is not going to be a rescuing attempt from us, Sakura. The Hyuuga are more than capable of regaining their heiress without our help."

She stared on with disbelief shining in her eyes. "What? Didn't Lee-kun tell you what happened? Ryuu-kun was revealed to be the Hyuuga heiress and gave herself in my place to save our lives! We _need _to rescue her!"

"Hyuuga's are fiercely loyal to those who they deem as their friends, even their aquaintances. I chose to allow her to remain for that very reason, Sakura. I've known for quite some time who she really was. I kept her around should something like this happen, and now that it's happened, what's done it done. Make no mistake, she won't be in the hands of the enemies for long." He added as he caught sight of the enraged look on his daughter's face. "In fact, I'm sure that they'll have her back in the Hyuuga mannor before this night is over."

"You knew who she was? This whole time?" She ground out between her gritted teeth, lowering her gaze from the male before her. If she stared any longer, she was afraid that she'd do something rash.

"Of course. Do you really think that I'd allow some bum you met on the streets to live here just because they escorted you home safely? Iie. I could tell that she was Hyuuga with one glance at her eyes. The only other people in the world with eyes like that are blind, and she was most definetly not blind."

"Why didn't you tell me? We could have kept this from happening and planned accordingly if you'd told us sooner!"

"I brought her into this house to be a protector, not to be protected." He stated calmly. "You worry for naught, daughter. She'll be rescued by the Hyuuga faction."

"But..." The female glanced up to Gai and Lee for help, only to feel a lump take place in her throat at their own looks of defeat. _They...They can't do anything about this either..._ Frustration welled up within her, a severe helplessness that she couldn't overcome. She knew without lifting her eyes that her father was scruntinizing her every move, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

The only thing that she could focus on was the thought of Hinata being held in the worst of conditions, just so that those three hoodlums could make a quick buck. She vaugely recalled her father calling out for one of the maids and being led to her room, however, the only thing that she was remotely conscious of was the fact that yet again, the one she loved was slowly slipping through her fingers.

0-Break-0

Hinata released a low grunt as she was unceremoniously dropped to the ground, feeling a shiver go down her spine as the snow beneath her seemed to penetrate her clothing. She didn't have a chance to gather her bearings before the black bag was pulled free of her head, the puller being the other female of the group as one of the men lingered near the entrance of the alleyway, the teen who had his face mostly covered leaving the area entirely.

The crumpling sound of plastic drew the heiress' gaze back to Kin once more, eyeing the shopping bag that was tossed a mere two feet away from herself. When she turned her inquisitive gaze to the female before her, the corner of her lips pulled into a smirk.

"We may be new at this, but we aren't stupid. Change into the clothes in the bag and put the ones you're wearing in it." Kin ordered, watching with amusement as the Hyuuga's face started to dawn with realization before quickly changing to that of embarassment.

"C-change h-h-here?" She cried, all of her bravery from ealier in the night deflating instantly. She may have been able to put on the brave face while in front of the sobbing Sakura and defeated Lee, but there was no one to impress here. It was just her and her kidnappers!

"Hai." Kin's dark eyes shined brightly as her amusement mounted. "Here."

"B-b-but..." She hesitated, biting on her lower lip as she glanced over at the male near the entrance.

"Oh him?" The long haired female snickered. "No need to worry. He won't be able to do anything to you even if he wanted to. You know the policy; no damaged goods." She plucked the bag up from the ground before pointedly placing it in the indigo haired female. "Now change."

Hinata did as told, pulling the contents of the bag out and undressed as quickly as she could, all the while angling herself away from the male as best as she could. She didn't do a good enough job, it seemed, for no sooner than she was pulling on the new pair of pants, did she hear a wolf whistle coming from the entrance of the alleyway.

"Damn...I don't know how they even managed to believe that you were a guy with a body like that." She glanced over her shoulder, squeaking as the male known as Zaku leered at her with a suggestive smile. "You've got a pretty nice rack there, Hyuuga-hime."

Her vision blurred at the large amount of blood speeding to her face. "A-aah!" She turned away completley, giving the male her back. Screw the dangers of putting your back to an enemy, she wasn't going to be able to function correctly with him oogling her like that!

"Come now Zaku, you'll spook the Hyuuga. She'll be difficult if she is too busy fearing that you'll ravage her." Kin chuckled, scolding her teammate as she moved to block his line of sight despite her light tone.

"Heh. Don't worry. I can keep myself under control. The one you've got to look after is Dosu. Who knows what's going on with him with that cloth covering his face at all times. For all we know, he's whacking one off somewhere at the thought of the naked heiress as we speak!"

There was a slight sound of a scuffle, followed by a couple of punches.

"Don't be crude, Zaku. I went ahead to see if the base was clear... Fool."

Hinata hastilly pulled on her new coat over the long sleeved shirt, stuffing the last of her clothing into the brown plastic bag and turning to face her captors with a deep breath.

"Ah. Good timing, Hyuuga." Dosu's voice was light, almost friendly, but Hinata knew better than to believe that anything about this male was nice. "We'll be going now. Kin." He jerked his head towards the female, who immediatley took a few steps forward with a smirk.

"Hai." She swiped the plastic bag of clothing from the paler girl's hands and tossed it into a nearby trashcan, lifting the black bag up so that it was above her head. "Time to go back into the darkness, Hyuuga." She smirked, and pulled it down her head harshly.

Hinata was in the dark and a few seconds later, she was lifted over the shoulder of one of the males and once more, they were off, leaving the small, unaudible tracker in the cold, damp corner of the alleyway.

0-Break-0

"...sama..."

Sakura lifted her head from her pillow at the whisper that came from an undefinable place in her room.

"...Sakura-sama..."

Her ears strained to pick up where Lee's voice was comming from, for there was no doubt; that was Lee. "Lee?" She sat up and climbed to her feet, pausing when her name was called yet again.

"Sakura-sama...Over here."

Her brows furrowed. It sounded like it was coming from the west side of her room. Her jade orbs rolled over the entire expanse of her wall, stopping when she saw the small chute that went to the laundry room. _He's probably calling me from downstairs, knowing that he'd be able to get to me through here._ She glanced at the door and bit her lip, noticing that there was a small shadow there, signifying that her father placed someone to ensure that she didn't leave the room any time soon. _I'll have to be loud enough for Lee-kun to hear me, but soft enough that the guard won't come in to check up on me._..

She made her way over to the chute, pulling it open and almost immediately let out a scream when a large pair of circular eyes peered directly into her own. She would have too, if it weren't for the white clothed hand that shot out and cover her mouth in an instance, slowly calming her down enough to realize that it was just her bodyguard.

She shoved the male's hand away, gawking at how effortlessly he hung upside down from the insides of the chute. "Lee-kun, how did you manage to get up here?" She hissed, her hand snaking out and grasping him by his collar before dragging him into the room as quietly as she could manage without rousing the suspicion of the guard.

"That is of no importance, Sakura-sama!" He whispered with a determined expression on his face. "We must find a way to get you out of here so that we can assist the Hyuuga in the search for Hinata-sama!"

The Haruno's eyes widened as far as they could as she stared at her bodyguard with a look of utter disbelief. Lee, the male who prided himself on being an individual who never failed to follow orders was propositioning that they go against her father's wishes and go search for the Hyuuga heiress? A wave of hope swept through her petite frame, causing her back to straighten unconsciously. "Really Lee-kun? You'd go against what tou-chan said and take me with you to search for Hinata-chan?"

"Hai." Lee allowed one of his trademark grin's to blind his charge, flashing her the 'nice guy' pose. "To tell you the truth, Sakura-sama, Sasori-sama never directly told me not to search for Hinata-sama. His only order was for me to keep an eye on you, and as I will be out there searching for my rival..."

Sakura would've kissed the green cloth lover just then if she wasn't already dedicated to a certain indigo haired teen. So instead, she reached out and squeezed his shoulder lightly, her eyes shining with her gratitude. "Thank you so much, Lee-kun." She glanced towards the door once more and lowered her voice even more. "I'll be down in a moment. I need to set up a few things, ne?"

"Hai." The male with the bowl cut saluted the female before turning back to the chute and swiftly slinking through it, the sound of him sliding down not even registering to the female's ears.

She tip-toed to her bed and stuffed a couple of pillows under the covers, making sure to fluff them in such a way that they resembled her body shape. She quickly gathered her warmest yet lightest clothes, pulling them on as she made her way over to the chute that the male exited not five minutes ago. Her hand rested against the silver knob that kept the duct closed, her eyes sliding closed for a brief moment.

_This is it. _Steeling herself up for the abrupt drop that she knew that was sure to come, Sakura closed her eyes and escaped through her only means of going after the person she loved for the second time that night.

_And this time... This time we'll be the ones doing the rescuing._

0-Twelve/end-0

A/N: I'll probably update sometime soon since I already know exactly what's going to go down. So keep an eye out for it!

Thanx for reading and have an awesome day!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hey guys, here's the next one! Neji's a bit OOC at the beginning, but only because he's worried for Hinata!

Please read and enjoi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0-Misinterpretations/Thirteen-0

"Damn it all!" Neji growled, his hands curling into fists as soon as he saw the silver haired man turn around with the small tracker resting lightly in the palm of his hand. He knew that he was going to completely lose his composure soon...

"Well, it seems like we're a couple of hours too late on this lead." Kakashi stated dryly, examining the small device in his hand with interest.

"How can you be so calm about this, Kakashi-san? Our only lead to Hinata-sama is now gone and all you can say is-."

The male with the mask covering more than half of his face released a sigh as he stepped closer to the long haired brunette. "This is exactly why I didn't think it wise for you to join us, Neji-kun. You will only stress yourself out more because of how close you are to Hinata-chan. I think that you should try and take it easy."

Neji's breath fogged out of his mouth in a huff, visible on account of the cold. His lips pulled taut over his teeth, trying his best not to lose his patience and just whack the man over the head as he was so tempted to do. "You want me to take it easy? What kind of stupid suggestion is that? If you believe that I'm foolish enough to get angry and quit over this, you're sorely mistaken."

"I didn't suggest that you take it easy or stay behind because I believe that you're getting in the way, if that is what you believe, Neji-kun. I was simply making a suggestion for your health. You are far too young to be getting stomach ulcers on account of stress." The head of the Hyuugas' bodyguards replied, his eyes curving in what Neji could only assume was mirth.

The teen crossed his arms over his chest and glanced away, eying the garbage bins off to the right with distaste as he slowly allowed himself to calm down and see reason. "So what is it that you plan on doing next? I assume that the reason why you are so calm right now is because you have a plan."

"Correct!" Kakashi exclaimed. "Actually, this was our initial plan for locating Hinata-chan. We were simply following Sora-san's tracking device because it seemed to be more convenient at the time." The man dramatically stepped forward and snapped his fingers at some of his men who were standing off to the side. "Bring Pakkun out!"

Neji watched the proceedings with a perfectly blank expression, proving his mastery of the stereotypical Hyuuga.

The man who Kakashi had addressed jumped into motion, jogging out of the alleyway only to return almost immediately, a small brown ball of fur held safely in his arms. He then continued to drop the small mound onto the ground, and after a couple of minutes of examination, it finally registered to the brunette that the _thing_ on the snow at the feet of the head of the bodyguards was a dog!

Neji peered down at it with a skeptical brow lifted, his upper lip twitching downwards as the pug lifted it's incredibly wrinkled face up towards the silver haired man.

"Pakkun, it's been a while my friend." Kakashi greeted the hound, addressing it as if he were another human being. He knelt so that there was only a limited distance between himself and the dog, stretching out his hand with the palm upturned. There, resting in his hand was the tracking device that belonged to Hinata.

_Ah, I understand. Kakashi-san intends to use this dog to track Hinata-sama using it's sense of smell. _His light lavender eyes flicked back down to the dog, doubt lingering in their depths. _But is this small wisp of a dog capable of carrying on such a feat?_

"Get a good whiff of it, Pakkun. You must keep the scent of the owner of it fresh on your mind because we're going to be depending on you for the rest of this mission." Kakashi placed his hand directly beneath the nose of the dog, his eye curving as the pug leaned forward and gave the device an experimental whiff.

"Is this dog a capable tracker? He is rather small and I'd like to remind you that it is snowing. Would it not be better to get another breed? Perhaps a Bloodhound? I hear that they can memorize the scent for days before they find what or who they are looking for."

The older male slowly straightened from his crouch, slipping the now useless tracking device into his side pocket with one hand and dusting off snow from his hair with the other. His head cocked to the side as he regarded the young Hyuuga with an amused glance. "Bloodhounds may have the reputation of being good seekers, but my Pakkun has a reputation of his own." He motioned down to the ground where the pug dutifully had it's nose to the ground, sniffing around the alleyway before trotting towards the entrance, it's tail wagging excitedly as members of Kakashi's team scurried out of his way.

Kakashi winked at Neji with his only visible eye before following in his dog's footsteps, his team right behind him.

The teen remained where he stood, staring after them with a defeated gaze. "Kami, I hope this works." He glanced up at the moon, flinching as several flakes of snow landed on his cheeks and melting upon contact. "Please be safe, Hinata-sama." He murmured before sighing and giving chase to the small troop of elite bodyguards and their ridiculous looking dog.

0-Break-0

She knew that they had reached the hideout as soon as she was pushed into the welcoming warmth which soon spread over her body.

"It's about damn time!" Zaku's voice sounded from behind her, signifying that the one carrying her had to be the other male, Dosu. "I was freezing my damn nuts off out there!" His exclamation was immediately followed by the sound of the door slamming shut behind them.

Dosu stepped further into the room, his hold on her loosening a bit as he started to shift her in his arms so that he was now carrying her bridal style. Hinata felt the muscles of the male tense as he paused, his breath leaving him in a heavy sigh.

"Well look at that! The potato sack and the beast!" Zaku chuckled from few feet away, giving the Hyuuga an idea of why the male had paused in his movements. She got the feeling that the loud brunette got on Dosu's nerves often. "A fucking fairytale picture right here in our room, ne, Kin?"

There was a definite feminine sigh and the resounding sound of a slap against skin. "Shut up, Zaku."

The muscles beneath her relaxed a little, and the male was soon shifting her around once more, before she was slowly lowered into the welcoming arms of what felt like a kitchen chair. A firm hand came down on her shoulder abruptly, but not swiftly enough to startle her. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of flinching. "Stay still Hyuuga." The soft timbre of Dosu's voice was at her back, informing her that one of the others was holding her down as her carrier started to wrap a thick coil of rope around her, strapping her down to the chair.

As soon as the bindings were done, the hand on her arm disappeared, and for that she was grateful. _It was probably Kin-san. _She thought, gnawing at the inside of her cheeks as the rope chafed her arms when she moved experimentally. _If it were Zaku, he would have said something, or his hands would have wandered._

The hard wood beneath her and at her back did nothing for her body, which was stiff from being in the cold and in the same position for an indeterminable amount of time. She knew that they had circled back a few times to keep her whereabouts unknown to her, a smart idea on their part as she was taught how to tell where she was while blindfolded as part of her "heiress training" back in the day. It was obvious that this wasn't this small gang's first time doing this, or if it was, they were well informed. She could only hope that they messed up soon, enough so that she could make a swift and painless escape.

And then-. Hinata frowned. Where would she go after this? Sakura had heard her confess that she was a woman; what if she didn't want her there anymore? What if she... Hinata bit her lip to keep her emotions under check, knowing full and well that if she didn't, she'd start bawling like a baby at the prospect of the pink haired heiress rejecting her.

_She'd be well within her rights to kick me out. _Hinata thought sadly, ignoring the bantering of Kin and Zaku in the background as she focused on her thoughts. _After all, I misled her into thinking that I was a man just so that I could get off of the streets for a few days... _She slowly lowered her head, the position only bringing more discomfort to her. _Sakura-chan... Please, wherever you are, please forgive me._

0-Thirteen/End-0

A/N: Yeah, I know that this was short, but it had to be. Two more chapters, and I'll probably have the next one out soon, this time for real because I already have it started. Anyways, if you liked it, please review!

Thanx for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hey guys, here's the next one as promised! Thanks for the reviews! Oh, and I know that some of you didn't catch it when I first introduced him, but I made Sasori's last name Haruno also. Why? Well... I didn't know his real last name at the time, so just go with it :)

OH! Please keep in mind that there were two different alleyways that Hinata and the trio were in, the first was where Hinata revealed her identity as a female in front of Lee and Sakura, and the other one was where she was forced to change and consequently left her tracking device. That's the one that Neji and Kakashi's gang went to.

Please read and enjoi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0-Misinterpretations/Fourteen-0

_This definitely would have been easier if we actually knew what we were doing or where we were going._ Sakura thought with a huff, flipping her bubblegum hued hair over her shoulder when the wind continually forced it against her face with a slapping force. She was irritated enough as it is with those gangsters stealing her Hyuuga away; she didn't need the aggravating sting of her hair hitting her face to add to it.

"Perhaps we should go back to the alley from which we started, Sakura-sama." Her trusted bodyguard mused aloud, his large circular eyes combing the entirety of the road with a steady gaze. He was definitely making sure that he wasn't going to miss anything with the through examination. He couldn't afford to, especially not when not only the Hyuuga heiress, but Sakura as well, were counting on him.

A pair of cat-like jade orbs regarded the teen beside her, thinking the suggestion over in her head before giving the male a determined nod. _It's not as if we have any other idea as to where they could have taken her._ She thought, biting her lip as she followed Lee's lead, trying her best to keep him from seeing her limping. After all, the small injury had happened just a few hours earlier. She knew that if the passionate taijutsu lover noticed her favoring her left leg, he'd find some way to dump her off somewhere safe in order to continue the search without her. _And that can't happen; not when Hinata-chan is depending on me to rescue her!_

0-Break-0

"Sir! You must hear this at once!" Gai practically ripped Sasori's door off of its hinges as he frantically made his way into the room, his eyes wide with panic and disbelief. "it seems that my young-."

"I am fully aware that Lee-kun and Sakura are out there looking for the Hyuuga." The redheaded male responded in monotone. He sent his bodyguard the smallest of smirks, so much so that it would have been undetectable had the green clothed adult not worked for the man for the past twelve years. "I know my daughter all too well, as well as your trainee. Neither of them seemed like they were placated with the fact that she is going to be found by the Hyuugas' own forces." His hazel hues flicked away from his guard in favor of the large glass window that encompassed the whole wall, watching the snow fall down in small clumps with disinterest. "Sakura is headstrong about many things, it's one of the miniscule things that I can tell that she's picked up from me all these years."

Gai lifted a thick brow as he patiently listened to the head of the Haruno, knowing that there was a reason behind it. People learned early into their relationships with the man that he didn't say words for the sake of saying them. He wouldn't waste the breath for such trivial matters.

"She may have forgone many of my habits, but her stubbornness is the very thing that makes her a worthy heiress." Sasori leaned forward and rested his hands on the rich mahogany desk before him, lacing his fingers together as his eyes flicked down to the small photograph that portrayed a version of himself a few years younger-as solemn as ever-and a small girl with pink hair who was grinning up at the camera with a small gap where her teeth were missing. "However, Sakura is still a child when it comes to the things of adults. Like love. She believes that she is in love with the Hyuuga, even after finding out that Hinata is also a girl."

It went quiet for a few moments before Gai stepped forward, stepping from one foot to another with uncertainty swimming in the depths of his eyes. This was the first time that the redheaded man didn't state the point that he was trying to make clearly. A first for the seemingly anal young man. "Haruno-sama, what is it that you wish for us to do about this? Lee-kun is still wearing those leg weights that I gave him last month. The tracker inside should still be activated. We could easily-."

"Iie." Sasori interrupted without bothering to look at the older man with the bowl cut. "Sakura has to learn for herself that this love is nothing more than a mere fairy tale. Only one of two things will happen. If she and Lee-kun do not make it in time to rescue her, she'll realize that careless love given freely will only result in pain."

The green clad bodyguard's eyes widened at the casual mention of Hinata's possible demise, but bit his tongue to refrain from commenting as the redhead continued.

"If she and Lee-kun do manage to make it in time to rescue her, I have no doubt that the Hyuugas' guards will get there first and cart her away at the first chance they get. They may even possibly move away from this area all together or send Hinata overseas for safekeeping until she comes of age to take over the clan. When that happens, she and Sakura will be separated. This scenario will allow my daughter to realize that their love was futile to begin with and move on with her life."

Sasori glanced over his shoulder to the shell shocked Gai and allowed another smirk to form on his perfectly sculpted lips. "So we will not do anything."

0-Break-0

There was no way that the damn dog knew where he was going. Neji had concluded whenever they passed the same street for the third time that evening. There was no way that Hinata went down that street so many times unless... Cold lavender hues narrowed. Neji's nostrils flared out as he tried to keep his inner pandemonium from leaking out of his perfectly composed mask. The Hyuuga picked up his pace and soon caught up with the silver haired bodyguard.

"To what do I owe this little 'visit', Neji-kun? Growing impatient doesn't seem to be very Hyuuga of you." He teased.

Neji's brow furrowed as he allowed the troubling thoughts to surface once more, taking a deep breath before he turned to address Kakashi. "Kakashi-san... I have a feeling that this path that Pakkun is leading us..."

"That it's the path that perhaps Hinata-chan's kidnappers have taken her so that she will be disoriented?" A single dark orb met shocked expression of the teen, flashing him a knowing look. "This is my line of work, Neji-kun. I know the signs quite well."

The brunette frowned before shaking off the statement, glancing down at the small pug a few feet ahead of them who seemed to be slowly speeding up with clouded eyes. "Pakkun will not be confused either?"

"Iie. As I said before, Pakkun's nose is better than any bloodhound's. Have faith, Neji-kun." Kakashi clapped the young man on the shoulder before picking up his pace as well, leaving Neji behind in his thoughts.

_I wish I could, Kakashi-san, but this is Hinata-sama that we're talking about. How can I put my faith in such a ridiculous looking dog?_

0-Break-0

_Damn, I'm good._ Sakura thought as she huffed that the exertion jogging brought to her lungs and injured foot. The cold air stung as it went down her throat, so much so that all she wanted to do was throw herself against the nearest house and demand entry and to use their heater for an extensive amount of time. _Well, not necessarily good, but I'm not completely without merit, after all, it wasn't the easiest thing to spot..._ It also helped that they appeared to have luck on their side, seeing as to how the snow wasn't coming down as hard as it had been that morning.

Sakura and Lee had gone back to the alley that Hinata had first gotten taken away from them. The snow on the ground was still disrupted from Lee's and the guy's little scuffle, and there were six distinctive tracks left behind from their initial arrival. Two were Lee's and Sakura's. The third was Hinata's, Sakura was sure of it since they were the only pair separated from the others, meaning that the last small group which consisted of three different tracks belonged to the gangsters who took the Hyuuga.

The pinkette had remembered that the hoodlums had followed them from an almost completely deserted street, which meant that it wouldn't be hard to follow them from where they started, and that's what she and Lee were doing currently, jogging alongside the three sets of tracks, each of them having eyes burning with determination.

When they rounded a corner, it took all that Sakura had within her to keep from crying out when her already injured ankle turned at another awkward angle. Pain shot up her leg, threatening to give out if she continued to abuse it so. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to allow any of them to fall. She wasn't about to be forced back, not when they were so close.

"Are you alright, Sakura-sama?" Lee called over his shoulder, having noticed that his charge was a few feet too far from him. She was usually able to keep up with him for a good five minutes on her bad days, but it hasn't even been three and she was already falling behind. Lee cast her leg a worried glance which was carefully hidden within determination. He was not as naïve as his mistress seemed to think that he was; after all, he had sustained a leg injury not two years prior to their current day. He knew how to spot the signs of someone favoring a leg, no matter how secretive they tried to make it. After all, he had done the same when he was in her place...

"Hai!" Sakura forced a false smile onto her face, making it wider than usual to cover up her grimace. "Don't worry about me, Lee-kun, I can keep up!" As if trying to prove her point, the teen grit her teeth beneath closed lips and pushed herself harder, slowly but surely catching up to the green clothed bodyguard who watched on with growing distress.

Lee bit the inside of his cheek to keep from voicing his worries aloud. He knew that the pinkette would never forgive him if he made her stay behind, but if she continued on like this... He shook his head at the thought. There was no way that he could risk the Haruno heiress her leg, no matter how much she might hate him for it later on. He was going to have to knock her out though, for there was no way that she'd willingly stop her search for the Hyuuga female.

The slim male slowed his pace ever so slightly, allowing the pinkette to take the lead a few steps ahead of him. To ensure that she'd be knocked out with the least pain, he'd have to go for that certain pressure point at the back of her neck... Just as he loomed closer, raising his hand to deal the swift, painless blow, Sakura gasped loudly, a hushed excitement sounding in her voice.

"Lee-kun, look! There it is, just up ahead!" Her finger, red from the cold and lack of proper circulation stretched out before them, pointing out their destination with barely restrained giddiness at the place that held Hinata only a few feet away.

The bodyguard stilled before reluctantly pulling his hand away. It seemed that knocking her out was no longer necessary. _It is only a matter of time now that the Hyuuga heiress will be returned to Sakura-sama._ He thought, reaching into the secret compartment of his jacket, fingering the hundred pound nun chucks with anticipation.His head lifted, his large circular eyes taking in the sight of the headquarters of the people that injured him and taken his rival from him.

_They will not defeat me this time. Of that, I will make sure.._.

0-Fourteen/End-0

A/N: Yeah, the next chapter will be the last :)

I hope you enjoyed this one. The second half was a bit rushed because for some strange reason, this computer won't let me on fanfiction a couple of days after it scans for viruses, which will happen in a few minutes, and I wanted to get this out sooner rather than later...

Anyways, thanx for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Yo! You guys have been great, and I just wanted to thank you all for sticking with me to the end. Seeing as this will be my first multichapter fanfiction that I've completed, I don't know how the ending came out… (That's why it took so long to update this time).

Anyways, please read and enjoi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0—Misinterpretations/Fifteen—0

All eyes were focused on the small wisp of a dog that suddenly froze in the middle of the street, the animal's ears perking up as if it had heard something. Its pudgy limbs were stiff for a moment before it sprung into action, taking off straight ahead with a sense of renewed determination.

"Has he found a new trail to follow?" Neji asked as he attempted to keep up with Kakashi and his men.

"One would think." The silver haired male's mask crinkled around the edges where his mouth should be, informing the long haired teen that the man was smiling. "But then again, it could be another dead trail like a few moments ago, Neji-kun. Please don't get mad at Pakkun if this one turns out to be so, ne?"

The gruff Hyuuga male released a small sigh before giving the elder man a brief nod. "Hai. I won't take it out on your mutt. I just hope that we'll find Hinata-sama soon."

"Don't we all?" Kakashi chuckled lightly at the sudden scowl creasing Neji's face. "Oh my, Neji-kun! You're looking quite fierce with that red nose. Should I start calling you Rudolph-kun?"

A pale hand shot out to cover his nose self-consciously before sending Kakashi a fierce glare. "This is hardly an appropriate time to be making jokes, Kakashi-san!"

"Iie, but it just so happens that it does help to lighten up your gloomy aura."

Neji opened his mouth to offer a scathing retort, but paused as he saw one of the silver haired bodyguard's men stop a few paces ahead. "Kakashi-san!" The unknown footman called back. "Up ahead! Pakkun's come to a stop."

The silver haired male sobered up immediately and his body tensed as if to take off into a sprint, but paused, glancing at something over Neji's shoulder briefly before staring at the confused Hyuuga.

The young man half-turned to see what had captured Kakashi's attention, only to be held still by two pairs of arms grabbing at his own. Neji moved to shake them off, only to gasp lightly as the pressure on each arm tightened. "What the hell is this, Hatake?" He snarled, whipping his head up to stare at the man in question.

"I'm afraid that this is as far as I'm allowed to take you, Neji-kun." The professional tracker stated, his single visible eye creasing with what Neji believed to be actual regret. "I just cannot afford for you to come along. If the enemies are armed and threaten Hinata-chan, I have no doubt that you'll just dive into the fray. I cannot protect the both of you." Kakashi ignored the teen's glare and patted him on the shoulder briefly before nodding to the two men at the Hyuuga's side and taking off towards the front of his group.

Neji watched and waited until the group was around the corner before examining his enemies, his eerie white eyes critically examining the men guarding him. _I don't care what you say Kakashi-san. Hinata-sama is my responsibility and will remain as such if I have anything to say about it._

0—Break—0

The sharp pain of the small cluster of nerves ripping and tearing under the force of her pushing against the rough rope was almost enough for Hinata cry out. _I… I can't allow them to hear me._ She thought determinedly, ignoring the watering of her eyes as she bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood. _I have to focus on breaking my thumb so that I can pull my hands free of these ropes._

"Oi, Kin! Why don't you act like a _real_ woman and fix us up something to eat? I'm starving!" The sound of Zaku's footsteps informed the blindfolded Hyuuga that the rude male had entered the room in which she sat. Soon following the question was a crash, startling the Hyuuga enough to jump slightly, wincing as the movement jarred her tender thumb.

"What the fuck did you just say, Zaku?!"

"Here we go again…" Dosu's dull voice came from somewhere to the right of Hinata. She kept quiet as she heard the sounds of yet another scuffle—the third since they've entered their base of operations—and of Dosu exiting the room.

_If I can manage to break my thumb while they're fighting and if Dosu's out of the room, I can probably escape without them noticing! _Hinata bit her lip as she adjusted her hands within the rope, making sure that her thumb was kept at an awkward angle. _It's only a temporary pain._ She thought before taking a deep breath and pushing her arms down with all of her strength, the sharp sound of the bone snapping filling the suddenly silent room. _Oh no…_ She ignored the sudden nausea that hit her and instead focused on the sounds of footsteps drawing closer.

"Well, well, well…" Kin's voice sounded so close to her that she could feel her warm breath on her ear. A hand shot out and yanked the back of her head so that she faced the ceiling from her neck up. "It looks like the Hyuuga-hime wants to leave our happy abode prematurely."

Zaku's harsh laugh sounded on the opposite side of his female partner's. "Well, Hyuuga, you've gotten yourself into quite the predicament." A pair of hands wandered down to her wrists, lingering there for a good moment or two before landing on her broken thumb, the nimble digits digging in harshly. White hot heat flashed through Hinata's hand, and despite the gritting of her teeth, a wretched cry was torn out from her mouth.

0—Break—0

Neji waited until the men relaxed their hold to attack. His hands snaked out of their grips and immediately struck several pressure points, ensuring their quick incapacitation before he bolted down to the end of the street, pressing himself against the building. _Okay… They should be somewhere near, but I don't know how close they really will be… I'll have to be careful to avoid them._

The long haired brunette steeled himself up, inching his head closer to the corner before he was finally able to glance down the street that awaited him. _There they are._ Neji's hands clenched into fists as he spotted them a little ways down the street, standing before a ragged looking shack. _That must be where those scum are holding Hinata-sama._ His lips curled up with disgust at the state of the kidnappers' hideout, outraged that they dared to hold the Hyuuga heiress in such a repulsive place.

_No time for that._ Neji shook his head to dislodge all thoughts of the state of the shack and onto the matter at hand. _There's no way that I'll be able to get closer to the hideout without managing to capture anyone's attention…_ _I'll have to go around and get in through the back._ He thought with creased brows.

The young man glanced down the street, ensuring that no one was looking, before dashing across the way, his sprint longer than before. _I have to get there as fast as I can! Hinata-sama… Please hold on!_

0—Break—0

A sharp shudder raced up Sakura's spine at the scream that tore into the silence. Her hands were frozen before her opened mouth._ That voice… That was Hinata-chan!_ The pinkette's brilliant jade eyes flicked to her right, off in the direction that Lee had gone in order to search for a way in via the roof. He hadn't been gone for longer than a couple of minutes, but that cry…

_I can't ignore it._ Sakura gnawed lightly at her bottom lip as she attempted to calmly assess the situation. She was pretty confident that she could formulate a plan; after all, she wasn't ranked first in her class for nothing. _Lee-kun went off to find a way in through the roof for the element of surprise. The chances of him finding a way in are very high, but then he has to come back to find me, help me up there, and into the hideout as well… But… Hinata-chan sounded like she was in pain. They could be torturing her and if Lee-kun has to help me through all that, we might be too late…_

"So I need to find a way in myself." She concluded. _I'm no match for them though. _The pinkette attempted a couple of steps forward, wincing at the sharp pain shooting up her leg. _Especially with my leg messed up…_ The Haruno heiress' head snapped up as a sudden bout of inspiration shot through her mind. She couldn't help the smallest of smiles when her wide hues landed on the rusted strip of fence that lie forgotten in the corner of the alley. _It should be easy enough to get something of use from that…_

She quickly hobbled over to the half-rusted fence, scanning it for weak spots. _There. In the corner._ She carefully climbed over the useless bits the best that she could before allowing her good foot to press down into the top right corner of the bar where the rust seemed to be in its more advanced stages. It was fairly easy to dislodge the single slip of bar; she merely had to shift the majority of her weight to the foot resting on the weakened metal and it snapped as if it were a twig.

Sakura tested her makeshift weapon a couple of times by swinging it before her much like a bat. The weight felt uneven in her hand, making her efforts a little sloppy, but that was easily shrugged off. She didn't have enough time to waste being picky—she stilled when there was yet another scream, this one not nearly as loud as the first one but just as intense.

Sakura swung around to face the building once more, her jade hues widening. "Hinata-chan!"

0—Break—0

Neji stilled at the sound of Hinata's shriek before speeding forward with renewed vigor. The only thought that was going through his head was that his heiress needed his help. He made it to the rooftop of a nearby house before leaping down onto the roof of the shack, his eyes immediately searching for entry points. When they finally rested on a couple of skylights, he couldn't help his small sigh of relief and strode over, not really paying much attention to his surroundings.

He was about a foot or two away from reaching his destination when a firm voice caused him to pause in his step.

"Halt!"

The Hyuuga glanced over his shoulder, his brows lifting ever so slightly at the sight of a slender male with thick eyebrows and an unusual fashion sense standing behind him, striking a combat pose.

"I cannot allow you to interfere with Sakura-sama's rescue attempt. I am afraid that if you wish to take a step closer to that window, you will quickly find yourself in a fight with myself!" The silly looking male had an unusual bowl cut and wore it with confidence.

Neji's lip curled in contempt for this newcomer keeping him from rescuing his cousin. _Hinata-sama needs me as soon as possible! I can't waste too much time on this guy._ "Very well. Then it seems like we're going to have to fight, stranger. My name is Neji." His face morphed into an unapproachable mask as he quickly moved into the Hyuuga style stance.

The strange male eyed Neji's stance with a brief flash of familiarity before sending the long haired Hyuuga a too-bright grin. "And my name is Rock Lee." He uttered with his strange way of speaking before taking one step forward and launching himself at the brunette.

0—Break—0

There had been a small window on the ground that led to the basement. Sakura took full advantage of that fact and promptly used her weapon, hitting the glass in to the other side. She took a minimal amount of time clearing the remaining glass clinging to the frame before getting down on her knees and pushing her way into it.

_Hinata-chan!_ Sakura cringed when another hoarse scream escaped the room above, leaping down to the ground in her rush.

"Gyah!" Sakura gasped, her hand immediately going for her injured leg. It was throbbing much more than it was earlier, and despite the heat that the basement provided, it didn't do much to keep the cold from sinking into her already chilled bones.

She would've given herself a little more time to recover, but the sound of a door creaking open caught her attention. Her jade orbs widened as she caught sight of one of the goons from before, the one with the bandages covering the majority of his face, entered the room.

He caught sight of her almost immediately, his single visible eye narrowing. "I had wondered what that crash entailed..." He muttered, before taking a step forward. "You were very foolish for coming here." He strode forward, closing in on the pinkette with unexpected speed.

"And you're very foolish for underestimating me!" Sakura screamed back adrenaline pumping through her veins. She lifted her makeshift weapon and slammed it into the male's shoulder. She had been aiming for the male's head, but she must've telegraphed her move, for he was able to dodge what would have been a crippling blow.

He grunted as the metal came in contact with his flesh, snarling lightly under his bandages before quickly grasping the thin pole in a deathly tight grip.

Sakura tugged briefly on the weapon, and when she deduced that she wouldn't have the strength necessary to pry it out of her enemy's hand, she quickly took the next step. She slammed her fist into the male's throat, effectively closing up the male's pathway for a few seconds. The strike had been hard enough that the male's grip slackened, and the pinkette quickly took advantage of that fact and wrenched her weapon out of his hands before planting it in the side of his head.

She watched with mild fascination as the male's eye widened briefly before rolling into the back of his head, just as gravity began to take hold of his body. _One down… Two to go._

She curtly nodded to herself before moving to step over the fallen thug, but a strange sensation went over her body as the adrenaline from the scuffle began to wear off. Her vision began to waver ever so slightly, and the pain that had gone unnoticed for the few moments she fought returned. _Oh shit._ She gasped heavily and winced as another wave of pain crashed over her. Her jade hues flickered up to the door briefly before rolling to the back of her head. _Gomen… Hinata-chan…_

0—Break—0

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that our little Hyuuga-hime likes pain; wouldn't you, Kin?" Zaku snickered as the indigo haired heiress cried out once more as he applied pressure to the rest of her fingers, delighting in hearing the loud _snaps_ filling the room.

"I don't know, Zaku, she seems to be crying… Did it really feel good enough for you to cry, Hyuuga?" Kin smirked lifting a single finger and dipping it through the heiress' tears, which were falling free by now.

The petite female's bottom lip was trembling, and her cheeks were flushed with the effort of keeping the threatening bile down. She had never felt anything as painful as having three of her fingers breaking at once; in fact, if she hadn't been trained properly in martial arts, she knows that she would have passed out long before that moment. Hinata managed to crack an eye open, desperately staring at the door that Dosu had disappeared into a few minutes prior to her escape attempt. Out of the three, he was the sanest, despite his appearance. She was almost positive that he'd force his comrades to stop, or at the very least, tone it down…

"Oh dear… Something's wrong with the Hyuuga-hime's fingers… They're bent all wrong." Zaku faked a sympathetic expression before a dangerous light shined in his dark gaze. "I know! Maybe I should do her a favor and bend them the _other_ way!"

Hinata's eyes widened at the male's implications, already fearing the pain that would come with the male bending her abused fingers in a different direction. Since they were broken, moving them without the aid of surgery would only serve to damage her nerves and bones even more. She shuddered as the male loomed closer, flinching when his hands slinked their way down her arm and to her wrist… She closed her eyes, awaiting the male's promise of agony.

"I wouldn't do that, boy." A deep familiar voice startled the three inhabitants of the room.

"Oi! Who the hell—!?"

There were brief sounds of a scuffle, and before Hinata could manage to crack her eyes open once more, a pair of gentle hands grasped her arms and held them in place as the ropes holding her down were cut. Hinata slowly lifted her head as her arms were carefully guided to the front of her body, the person doing the lifting making sure to be mindful of her injuries.

A deep breath of relief escaped her as her lavender orbs rested on the familiar sight of a blue mask and a wealth of silver hair. "K-Kakashi-san." She murmured, noting that darkness swirled at the edges of her vision.

His lone visible eye was warm as it fell on her face. "You're safe now, Hinata-chan. I'll be looking after you. You don't need to worry anymore."

She wished to search for her captors, to ensure with her own eyes that they would no longer be a threat, but her eyes just would not cooperate. They were getting heavier and heavier…

"Rest now, Hinata-chan. We'll take care of things from here."

That was the last thing she heard before she promptly passed out.

0—Break—0

**Three weeks later…**

"Hinata-chan!"

The indigo haired female stopped in her tracks and half turned towards the familiar voice, a genuine smile already spreading across her lips. "Sakura-chan. How are you this afternoon?" Hinata asked, waiting patiently for the Haruno heiress to wheel herself over on the wheelchair that the pinkette's father demanded her to use instead of crutches.

"I'm pretty good. Tsunade-sama decided that I was fit enough to go for little… strolls around the hospital." Sakura came to a stop beside the pretty Hyuuga, her jade hues momentarily flicking to the sling that held Hinata's injured hand before moving back up to her heart shaped face. "And you? How are your fingers?"

"They ache every once in a while, but Tsunade-sama prescribed me some medicine if the pain gets to be too much." Hinata's gaze slowly drifted to the ground as her smile began to melt away. "I've spoken to my family… They won't hear anything about me officially transferring to your school…"

Sakura blinked slowly as the sorrow began to take over her girlfriend's face. "Aw… It's okay Hina-chan." She reached out and grasped the paler girl's good hand with her own, smiling up at the reddening female and squeezed lightly. "I can always ask tou-chan if I can transfer, and if that doesn't work out…" She motioned for the indigo haired female to lower her head down enough for her to whisper into her ear. "We'll elope."

"You most certainly will not." A deep voice sounded from behind Hinata, startling the Hyuuga into standing and the Haruno into straightening.

They both glanced behind the Hyuuga heiress to see a lightly put out Neji, who was marching over to the pair with his usual slight-frown on his face. "Hinata-sama, how many times do I have to tell you? You're supposed to tell me if you want to go somewhere. I'm to escort you whenever you go for walks, even if it is to meet up with Sakura-sama."

"Ah, how true, Neji-kun! We can keep the ladies entertained by having that rematch!" Lee came strolling around the corner, immediately gravitating towards Neji, Lee's newest 'rival'. His mind had been blown when yet another Hyuuga beat him in martial arts that fateful night and had not gone a day without challenging the brunette for a rematch.

Neji rolled his eyes at the green loving teen's antics and crossed his arms over his chest. "Not likely, Lee. I doubt that would keep five year olds entertained, much less two young women."

"Ah! You doubt me! I assure you that I have been training nonstop since the last time we met in battle."

"…That was only a few hours ago Lee. I doubt that your skills have changed drastically enough to reap different results."

There was a slight fluttering sensation in Hinata's stomach when Sakura's hand once more grasped her own, and she couldn't help the deep flush that claimed her cheeks when the pinkette motioned with her head for them to sneak away. Since she didn't trust her voice, Hinata gave her girlfriend a small nod before lightly releasing Sakura's hand and moving to the back, grasping the handles and slowly turning them away from what she was sure to be an ensuing fight.

Once they were out and in the courtyard, Sakura leaned back and peered up at the Hyuuga heiress, smiling when the female flushed and blinked back in surprise. The pinkette closed her eyes and puckered her lips, her request silent. She felt the heat of Hinata's face before the soft pliant lips met her own, and it was then that Sakura felt a burst of warmth crowd her heart. She was in love, and it was reciprocated… It didn't matter that Hinata wasn't 'Ryuu'. It didn't matter that Hinata couldn't be her bodyguard anymore. Hell, it wouldn't even matter if they couldn't go to the same school. This was love, and it knew no bounds.

"I love you Hinata-chan." She murmured when the Hyuuga pulled back.

"A-And I love you, S-Sakura-chan." Hinata smiled the smile that Sakura loved, the one that showed off her cute little dimples. She leaned in, to kiss the pinkette once more, only to pull back in surprise as a loud crash echoed throughout the courtyard. The females looked up, only to see Lee standing unscathed in a pile of glass, and Neji at the frame of the window, a haughty look on his face.

"Very well, Neji-kun, I concede my defeat for today, but you should be prepared, for I will not go easy on you next time!"

Sakura sighed heavily and shook her head. "Those guys… Ruining the moment and everything."

Hinata glanced down at the pouting female; she felt a brief spark of bravery before quickly leaning forward and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "T-That should hold y-you off for now." She whispered before hastily retreating back behind the wheelchair.

_Hm… You sure have gotten bold, haven't you Hinata-chan._ Sakura grinned lightly before leaning back and allowing her eyes to drift shut. For once in her life, everything was perfect. _And as long as Hinata-chan is by my side, it will stay that way._

_ Always._

0—Misinterpretations/End—0

A/N: It's done!

Thanx for reading!


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